


Tears On The Ground, Tears On The Pillow

by LGFUADJJ



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: (Yuri's Head Is In The Sand Is What I Mean By That Last Tag), Aged-Up Character(s), Dance Head Canon, First Kiss, First Love, Fluff, For those who were worried (?), Friends to Lovers, Gradual smut, M/M, Masturbation, Multi, Mutual Pining, Naive Yuri, Ostrich - Freeform, OtaYuri End Game, Periodic POV Switching, Slow Burn, Starts May 2019, While Having Feelings For SOMEONE Else, Yuri Might Or Might Not Date Someone, slight angst, slight song fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-25
Updated: 2017-06-21
Packaged: 2018-09-26 18:35:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 90,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9915680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LGFUADJJ/pseuds/LGFUADJJ
Summary: ‘@yuri-plisetsky: I suppose 3 AM dancing with @asyalesposito is better than crying. Thanks @otabek-altin for recording <3 #mychoreography’Yuri Plisetsky falls in love with dancing almost as much as ice skating. Otabek Altin is so much in love with Yuri that he wants to learn how to dance, too...Also known as a look into how Yuri deals with his feelings and relationships as a whole (including friendships).3/15: I. Am. Writing. For. This. Again. Please continue to be patient as I try to produce a great chapter for you all <3





	1. One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all I wanted to mention that this was first meant to be a stand alone one-shot. But it has now devolved into a multi-chapter head canon almost AU that I can't stop thinking about and writing.  
> I turned on Pandora, literally trying to find any inspiration on what to write for anything regarding YOI and BAM, [THIS SONG](https://youtu.be/UKKb3qitix4) started it all. It took barely a 4 minute song to make this idea come to life, and I'm not even sorry.
> 
>  **BEFORE WE BEGIN, LET ME TELL YA A FEW THINGS...**  
>  1) I know ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about dance. Other than what I've researched on my own and can see with my own eyes.  
> 2) This story heavily involves links to songs / dance routines / art / etc I've found and drew inspiration from. While they're not absolutely necessary to view, they definitely give a better visual than my own description.  
> 3) I haven't written fanfiction since about 2011 and this story honestly makes me feel so alive. I hope it makes you happy reading it as much as it has made me by writing it.  
> 4) Lastly, yes, this also showcases my taste in music. Shoot me.
> 
> xo

Yuri sat on his bed, with his legs criss-cross and his cat’s head leaning against his thigh. It was the middle of May, only a couple months after his 18th birthday. He had just gotten home from his daily run and still had his hair tied up in a half bun, the rest of it resting a little past his shoulders. He felt a small smile tug at the corner of his lips as he glanced at the small webcam box of Otabek, who was pulling his own hair into a ponytail.  
Otabek was quiet on the other end of their Skype call, but the silence didn’t bother either of them. Yuri had come to enjoy Otabek’s company, in any fashion, so much so that they often tried to beat their longest skype call time. Their current video call sat at a whopping 37 hours and 16 seconds, and counting.  
  
The only time their calls ever ended was because someone’s laptop accidentally died without them realizing their power was low in the first place. Or when Yuri was visiting Moscow and his grandpa had thought he had left his laptop on, on accident, before leaving for the day and turned it off for him. Or the inevitable times when Skype would just freeze for no reason at all. Then once when Yuri’s cat walked across the keyboard and ended their call just before hitting their record of 57 hours and 11 seconds. Yuri was almost furious before he realized that it meant they would have to try for their record once again. It made him smile at the time, and silently thank his furry best friend.

“How was your run, Yura?” Otabek asked, after finishing fiddling with his hair. Yuri couldn't help but smile at the sound of his name from his mouth.  
“Mm, it was nice I guess. Boring in a way because there's not many different routes to take for the time I like to run. But it's nice out regardless.” He answered as he pulled out his phone to scroll through twitter to catch up on the past hour.  
The weather was definitely something he enjoyed today, in the low 60’s and with a slight breeze. Summer was on the way and he enjoyed it just as much as the winter, even if he’d never admit it.  
“Maybe you should find another cardio related activity to try out, instead of running. I personally like a mix of taekwondo and muay thai every now and then. It just mixes up the flow.” Otabek explained.  
Yuri bit the inside of his lip in thought. Thinking of Otabek taking his frustrations out on a punching bag, or even sparring with another person fit him perfectly. But he didn't think he would be able to fit into that himself.

“I’m not sure if I could do something like that.” Yuri shrugged as he pet his cat’s long tail.  
“If you wanted to try, I could teach you what I know. But it was just a suggestion. My coach is always trying to give me different ideas of what to do off the ice to keep my workout interesting. He even suggested dancing, which I think is the funniest of his recommendations.” Otabek lowly laughed to himself, trying to picture taking a dancing class.

Yuri smiled at this idea. Otabek dancing to a pop song would be the purest thing. Then he thought about them dancing to a song together. He tried to hide the slight blush on his face by pulling his hair tie out and letting his hair fall around his face.

“Dancing doesn't sound so bad.” Yuri thought out loud as he pushed the left side of his hair back behind his ear. He was interested in a variety of music, and could definitely see himself dancing to a lot of different things.  
“Yeah, you would definitely be good at it. I’m not opposed to it I guess, but it's obviously not my first choice.” Yuri smiled, thinking about Otabek dancing again.  
“Maybe if you show me some taekwondo, i’ll attempt to show you how to dance once I learn more myself.” Yuri heard himself say as leaned back on his headboard.  
He watched Otabek smile from the other side of his screen.  
“That sounds like a plan.”

Their conversation continued, as Yuri delved into Youtube videos, watching various dance groups and individual routines. He sent a few he liked to Otabek, and they watched them together - which they often did with movies and other media, just pressing play at the same time. Otabek commented on a few, telling Yuri he could picture Yuri doing them well, if not better. This made Yuri smile like no other, trying and failing to hide his blushed cheeks from Otabek. 

~~~

After a morning skate, Yuri went with Victor and Yuuri to one of their usual lunch spots at a deli. He had grown to put up with their antics, even in public, and normally would be on his phone texting Otabek anyways to even be bothered by it much.  
Otabek had sent him some links to a few dance studios near his residence while he was practicing, and it made Yuri involuntarily smile wide at the thought that he was thinking of him while they were both busy.

“Yuri seems to be texting Otabek.” Victor smiled as he rested his chin on his fist and gleamed at him from across the table.  
“Shut it.” Yuri was quick to say, as he reached for his drink, while simultaneously looking at the studios that were sent to him, shuffling through images.  
“Have either of you ever taken dance classes, other than ballet?” Yuri asked aloud as he stayed glancing at his phone.  
“Other than what Minako has taught me, which is a little bit more than ballet, no.” Yuuri answered first, as Victor hurried to swallow the food in his mouth, his eyes lit up to the question.  
“Of course. You haven’t, Yuri? I definitely recommend it. I find it helps on the ice.” Victor responded while nodding his head happily.

Victor kept on talking, about different dance studios and the various classes he took as Yuri slowly drowned him out while sending a response back to Otabek.

**_Y: Thanks for sending me some stuff to research, Beka. You didn’t have to :)  
O: I know I didn’t have to, but I wanted to._ **

Yuri bit the inside of his lip as he sighed in happiness. Contemplating what to say to Otabek next, he slowly started to hear Victor talking about a salsa class he attended. Yuri watched as Yuuri was softly smiling up at Victor, content on listening, and fought the urge to roll his eyes. In the middle of Victor’s story, Yuri glanced up as a boy who vaguely reminded him of Otabek approached their table, clearing away some empty baskets so they didn’t have to. He had the same sun kissed skin and soft brown eyes. He had his hair back in a small bun. But Otabek definitely wore the look better, Yuri thought to himself. The boy shot a small smile towards Yuri, who read his name tag - ‘LUCAS’. Before Lucas walked away, he surprisingly said something.

“Sorry for interrupting, but I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation. If you wanted another recommendation for studios around here, you should check out Dance Studio 25.5. I’m actually trying to put together a class I can teach, for a school project.” His had an American accent. His tone was light, and delicate, nothing like Otabek’s Yuri noted. He produced a business card, seemingly out of nowhere and left it on the table. He gave another small smile before walking back towards the kitchen, not awaiting any reply.

Victor was the first to pick up the card, and scan it over. He simply shrugged as he passed it to Yuri, who slowly took it from him. It had a ‘Dance Studio 25.5’ logo, an address, studio hours, and a phone number for the studio itself. But also in small writing in the bottom right, it read _Lucas Miller_ with another phone number, presumably his personal contact info.  
“Hm.” Was all Yuri could say as he glanced towards Lucas, who was paying attention to something else, and put the card in his pocket.

~~~

Yuri decided to skip his daily run and went straight home soon after lunch, with the idea of starting on mimicking some dance routines he had found the night before. When he arrived, he noticed the time on the ongoing skype call was at 52 hours and 41 seconds. He grinned almost child-like when he realized Otabek had fallen asleep with his face pointed towards the camera. It explained why he wasn’t responding to Yuri’s messages.  
Yuri sat on his bed for a moment, just watching Otabek’s shoulders slowly rise and fall. His face was half squashed into a pillow, and he had earbuds dangling from his ears. His hair was slightly hanging in his face instead of in it’s usual slicked back position. Yuri silently deemed it one of the cutest things he’d seen, and wished to one day see it in person instead of through the webcam quality he was staring at.  
  
To avoid waking him up, Yuri muted himself before going on a search of a routine he felt like trying to emulate. After sifting through a few, he [found one that he thought was simple yet challenging to try and master, that used the song Dust Clears by Clean Bandit.](https://youtu.be/U6WMi1pRhoA) After putting his hair up in a bun, he went through his normal warm-up stretches that he would do before skating, or ballet. He sat his laptop on his bed, facing him towards an open area in his room, and enlarged the video, slowly following along with each repeat.  
He spent about half an hour really memorizing the first 20 seconds before he took his time with the last minute or so. The step sequence wasn’t difficult but rather, it was making his hands move just as fluid as his feet that was tripping him up. Before he knew it, he was working up a sweat just redoing the same movements over and over again. He ran through the song one more time, confident in most of his movements, and realized he only needed to lastly memorize the ending step sequence that was about 20 seconds. Needing a break, he left his room in search of a towel to dry his face with, and a water bottle. When he arrived back in his room, he sat on his bedroom floor and browsed his phone, when a voice broke the silence.

“Yura.” Otabek said quietly, just trying to get his attention, and Yuri could tell his voice was drenched in sleep. Yuri smiled as he got up and sat on his bed, before plugging his headphones in and unmuting himself.  
“Good morning, Beka.” He smiled as Otabek smiled back.  
“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize I needed a nap until I woke up from it.” Yuri smiled and shook his head, telling him no need to apologize.  
“I told you that you would be good at dancing.” Otabek said nonchalantly as Yuri froze and looked at the screen. How long had he been awake?  
“Oh, you saw that?” Yuri said sheepishly as his hand came up to his mouth and he nervously bit down on his thumb nail.  
“I saw enough. It was nice. You look really good doing it. As if it came naturally.” Otabek responded as Yuri watched him through his webcam moving off of where he was lying and into his kitchen, bringing his laptop with him. Yuri smiled, realizing just how much Otabek was the reason he smiled so much in the first place and said a small ‘Thank you’.  
“What are you going to teach me to cook now?” Yuri changed the subject as they both smiled at each other. Otabek’s dinner routine was always interesting to Yuri, regardless of what it entailed. Otabek had set his laptop on a counter and was searching for some items in cupboards and his fridge before responding.  
“Tonight Yuri, you will be learning how to make...A sandwich.” Otabek grinned as he held up a loaf of bread and some type of meat. This made Yuri laugh out loud at the lackluster reveal, which made Otabek laugh as well.

~~~

For a couple days, Yuri practiced the routine he picked trying to perfect it before moving onto anything else. He had even built up the courage to practice it with Otabek knowingly awake. Otabek didn’t say much other than praise him, and calm him down when he could tell he was getting frustrated. Yuri had no idea Otabek was enjoying watching him practice over and over again. The way his body moved, and how his face would get more pink, on the verge of red, the longer he danced made Otabek grin. He could only try and imagine what he looked like while dancing in person. It was slowly becoming Otabek’s favorite afternoon show to watch, instead of anything on TV.  
Eventually Yuri wanted to do the routine on his own, and asked if Otabek would watch the routine video and him simultaneously as if to quiz him. Of course, not much to Otabek’s surprise, Yuri had mastered the barely minute long dance and even seemingly did it better and smoother than the people in the video. Once Yuri had finished, his final movement slide stepping out of frame, Otabek gave a small smile and softly clapped. Yuri, actually proud of himself stepped back into frame and gave an over dramatic bow that made Otabek laugh.  
  
After Yuri did some cool down stretches, and dried his face of sweat, he started pulling off his clothes to change into something less sweaty, without a worry in the world. Otabek opened his mouth to say something, because maybe Yuri suddenly forgot he could see him? But then stopped before any words came out and just watched as Yuri peeled off his shirt and sweats and threw them on the floor. Otabek gaped as Yuri stood in what looked like dark maroon boxer briefs in the middle of his room, scrolling through something on his phone. Yuri lightly laughed to himself while looking at something. He pulled his hair out of the ponytail he had it in and ran his hand through his hair. Otabek bit his lip hard as he couldn’t help but stare. He slowly drank in all of Yuri’s features and realized his imagination did not do his body justice. The number one thing on his hopes and desires list soon became seeing Yuri’s toned and well sculpted body in this manner, in person. Maybe with a bit of touching if Yuri allowed him to.  
  
Yuri, oblivious to what he was doing to Otabek, showed him on his phone through the webcam, what he was laughing at - of course a picture of a cat. Otabek only could manage a chuckle, hoping his face wasn’t as red as it felt. Otabek suddenly became conscious of how much his body had betrayed him and felt the bulge in his pants, begging to be answered. Yuri turned his back towards the camera still with his head in his phone. Otabek silently gazed as Yuri shuffled through some drawers and started slipping on a black tank top with a tiger on it, and a pair of shorts. But the damage was done, and none of the clothing in the world on Yuri would make Otabek’s body relax, or his thoughts quiet. Reluctantly, Yuri decided to make dinner, and Otabek took the time to have himself a shower.  
  
This wasn’t the first time Otabek had touched himself to thoughts of Yuri, and he knew it wouldn’t be the last. Especially since it seemed Yuri didn’t notice the things he could do to him without the intention to. Otabek slowly worked a hand over his length, the warm water engulfing him. He shut his eyes and leaned his back against the shower wall. He imagined Yuri, in those red boxer briefs dancing intimately for him. He tried to picture how it might feel with Yuri in his lap grinding on him. He drowned in the idea of sensations that he never had the pleasure of feeling with Yuri. He visualized Yuri’s pouty lips, pleading to be touched and kissed only by him. Otabek fantasized about making Yuri come without even taking all of their clothes off. Even though it was a fantasy he thought about often, it still pushed him close to the edge. The idea that he could be the one to make Yuri feel good in any sense sexually, pleasured him greatly. Otabek’s breathing started to get ragged, and his strokes become faster, as he tried his best to imagine the sounds and faces Yuri would make on the verge of coming. He imagined Yuri stuttering out his name and begging him not to stop, with his face red and gasping for air.  
“Yura..” Otabek spoke softly as he came, but the evidence washed away almost as fast as it had appeared. He slowly gasped for air as he tried to calm himself. After letting the satisfaction seep into his bones, he began to actually use what the shower was meant for, and bathed himself.  
He certainly felt dirty, regardless of the amount of soap he used, and almost guilty as he returned to the skype call where Yuri was patiently waiting, braiding his hair. But once he saw Yuri’s grin, his guilt washed away because he knew he was the one who made that smile appear just by existing.

~~~

Yuri pursed his lips as he stared at the business card he had thrown on his desk about 2 weeks prior. He knew that dancing was something he wanted to pursue, for educational purposes mostly, but also because he was beginning to really enjoy it. But for some reason outside of imitating people on Youtube, it was difficult to bring himself to actually sign up for a class. There was a slight worry in the pit of his stomach that he just wouldn’t be up to par, no matter what class he took. He shared this irrational fear with Otabek one afternoon as they were on their longest skype call yet of 89 hours and 3 seconds. Otabek only cocked his head slightly with a small smile before responding to his worries.

“Yuratchka, if you can imitate different styles from people on Youtube in a mere 2 weeks, I think you’ll do just fine in any class you decide to take. Please stop underestimating yourself, especially when it comes to dance.” Otabek said softly, but firmly. He did have a point, Yuri realized. He had already memorized 3 different routines to different styles in the 2 weeks since he started his research. He wasn’t sure why he was suddenly worried he might fail at something he was starting to become devoted to. He reached for the business card that was still lying on his desk. He told Otabek that was he was going to call someone about classes, and to excuse him. Otabek just smiled back and told him not to worry.  
Yuri dialed what he assumed was Lucas’s number instead of the number for the studio. He had only seen him a couple more times at the deli, but they didn’t say anything to each other. Lucas had only offered his small smile both times, which made Yuri a little irritated somehow. It made him wonder if he dreamed up their brief interaction but the business card was proof that he didn’t.  
There were 3 rings before someone who seemed in the middle of something answered politely. Yuri heard music in the background, and sounds of people counting out what he could only assume were the steps to a song. The background noise slowly started to fade, and the voice repeated his hello in what sounded like a quieter setting.

“Ah, is this Lucas?” Yuri asked, a little caught off guard by his inability to answer the first time.  
“Yes, can I ask who i’m speaking with?” Lucas replied, professionally. Yuri slightly scrunched his eyebrows at the question. How many business cards was this guy giving out with his personal info on it?  
“Yeah, my name is Yuri, I don’t think we’ve officially met. I’m a fairly frequent customer at a deli you work at?” Yuri managed to reply as Lucas chuckled on the other end.  
“I was wondering when you’d call.” Was all he said, as Yuri nervously laughed and put his hair behind his left ear. Otabek watched Yuri curiously, only hearing one side of the conversation.  
“Yeah I’ve been pretty busy. But I think I’d be able to manage taking some classes at the studio you gave me a card for, if you’re interested in having me.” He said almost sheepishly, not knowing how else to put it.  
“Mm, is that the only reason why you called my personal number, instead of the studio line?” Lucas asked on the other end of the line as Yuri had to fight an immediate feeling of annoyance down his throat before it came out as something he didn’t mean to say. Otabek helped him with that kind of thing, he remembered, and glanced at the screen. Otabek noticed his glance and smiled at him encouragingly.  
“Well you did say you were looking for people to be in your class, or whatever. So I thought I’d extend the offer to you first, before looking for other instructors.” Yuri said matter of factly, gaining his confidence back just from Otabek’s smile alone. Yuri wasn’t sure what this guy’s problem was, or really what he meant from what he said, but he wasn’t going to back down.  
“That’s true, I did say that. Well I’m actually slated for a class tonight at 7, but if that’s too soon for you, I have another class on Thursday night at the same time.” Lucas said. Yuri wasn’t sure if he was challenging him or not, with his wording on if it would be too soon for him. But before he could say anything regarding it, Lucas spoke up again.  
“Also, since I’m a student teacher, you don’t have to worry about paying or anything for the classes. Student teachers do them for free, since it’s for experience.” Lucas said sincerely, and it made Yuri yet again question what this guy’s deal was. One moment he seemed like he was daring him to show up for a class, the next he’s telling him he doesn’t have to worry about money. Which is not something Yuri worried much about in the first place.  
“Okay, i’ll see you tonight then.” Yuri concluded.  
“I’m looking forward to it.” He could almost see that stupid small smile of his as they said their goodbyes and hung up. Yuri couldn’t understand why he was suddenly worried about this guy and his complexities.

“So you’re going to a class tonight, Yura?” Otabek brought him out of his mind suddenly. He was thankful Otabek saved him from his droning mind once again.  
“Y-Yeah, the class is at 7. From the sounds of it, his class sounds like it’s only on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I might have to look into some other classes if I start to get bored.” Otabek wondered why Yuri had stuttered at the beginning of his sentence, but didn’t question it.  
“I might be asleep once you get home.” Otabek said with an apologetic look on his face. His time zone was three hours ahead, after all.  
“That’s okay Beka. I don’t want you waiting up for me, especially when you train just as hard as I do in the mornings.” Otabek smiled at the soft usage of his nickname.  
“Okay, I’ll try not to.” Was all he said in return, and Yuri just smiled back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please validate my existence by leaving comments and kudos <3\. **Constructive criticism** is always appreciated.
> 
> [Catch Me On Tumblr](http://lgfuadjj.tumblr.com/)
> 
> P.S: I'm planning to post a chapter every Friday! If not biweekly on a Friday. We'll see how editing and revising goes...
> 
> xo


	2. Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been over 2 weeks since I posted my first chapter and I'm so sorry for such a delayed second posting. I have been putting off revising and editing the 2nd chapter for this long (even though it has been written). Since I've taken so long, I've TRIPLED the length of this chapter (to 13K or so words instead of 4K).  
> Enjoy!
> 
> xo

Yuri decided to jog to the studio that night, just to get the blood running through his veins. He had a small black backpack, with some essentials in it. He wore a red tank top, with a black zip up hoodie that wasn’t zipped, and dark blue leggings. His hair was up in a half pony tail. His headphones had music blaring, and he couldn’t help imagining some step sequences to it.  
He arrived at the studio about 15 minutes early. He walked into the building, which first had an entry room with a desk no one was sitting at. There were some people sitting around in chairs in what seemed like a waiting room, on their phones. He didn’t see Lucas, but instead of sitting in an empty seat, he decided to start stretching out against the empty desk.  
He dropped his bag at his feet, leaned on the desk, and pulled out his phone. He brought his left leg effortlessly over his head, and stretched it out far enough where he could feel a slight burn. He was too busy reading a text from Otabek, and lost in his music to realize everyone in the room was staring at him. 

**_O: Good luck tonight, Yura. Even though you don’t need it._ **

Yuri laughed to himself as he enlarged a photo Otabek attached, with a cat and the text ‘Hang in There’. He slowly lifted his right leg over his head now. He began typing a message back, but before he could respond, he finally noticed the people in the room looking at him. He glanced around the room, but kept his pose even though he felt his cheeks start to tinge at the fact that most people were gawking. Didn’t they stretch too? Yuri started to take his headphones off, with a scowl forming on his face, ready to tell all of them to take a picture so they could stare longer, but he heard a woman’s voice before he could say anything.

“At least someone here knows how to stretch.” She gave a grin before lifting her left leg and resting a calf on the desk beside Yuri, who still had his elbows on it.  
“Eh?” Was all Yuri could muster as he brought his leg back down.  
“I’m Asya. You must be Yuri. Lucas told me that you might show up tonight.” She introduced herself as all Yuri could process was the fact that Lucas was talking about him. She didn’t wait for a reply and kept talking.  
“I’m also a student teacher here. I know that this is your first class here and all, but if you end up liking it I teach my own class in the afternoon on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 1.” She suggested, as Yuri continued to stretch, bending forward and touching his toes. He recognized from her voice that she was Italian. Once he stood up, he noticed her skin was olive, contrast to his, and her light brown hair was up in a bun on top of her head. She was shorter than him, her head barely reaching his chin. She slightly reminded him of Sara Crispino, the only other Italian woman in his life that he knew.  
“Maybe i’ll stop by.” He responded as Lucas suddenly walked out of what he assumed was the studio. He was smiling, and stood next to the door holding it open for the people that proceeded behind him. He said his goodbyes to the people leaving.

“Welcome, Yuri. It looks like you met my classmate, Asya.” Lucas addressed them both as she stood up and grabbed her bag she had sitting under her. Yuri proceeded to do the same thing. All Yuri offered was a forced smile. Why was he only speaking to them? Without waiting for a response, Lucas welcomed his class into the studio once it was empty.  
“Please, if you haven’t, do your warm up stretches. We’ll begin reviewing what I showed you last week in a few minutes.” Lucas announced as he closed the door behind everyone who shuffled in. Bags were put up against a wall, and people started doing various stretches. Yuri took the time to send off the text he hadn’t managed to yet to Otabek.

**_Y: Thanks, Beka <3\. Like I said earlier, don’t wait up for me. Goodnight :)_ **

He put his phone inside his bag, and began to stretch out his arms. Asya stood beside him and continued her own stretches. Yuri’s curiosity had him speaking before he realized what he was saying.

“You both are students?” He asked Asya, curious about why they were in St. Petersburg to begin with. She took a moment to respond as she sipped out of her water bottle.  
“Mm, yeah. Lucas and I go to SPSU. We’re exchange students, studying abroad here.” Yuri understood the shortened name for Saint Petersburg State University. He assumed their degree must entail something with dance, otherwise what would they be doing here in the first place. Yuri braced his hands on the back wall of the studio, and turned his hips left, stretching them.  
“What do you do, Yuri?” Asya asked as she also braced the wall but did a different stretch. Yuri felt oddly relieved she didn’t know who he was. It made her expectations of him far lower than what they could be if she knew.  
“Oh I just ice skate...For Russia.” He added as he switched the stretch of his hips to the right.  
“That sounds fun. I’ve never ice skated before.” Asya smiled as she also adjusted to her other half for her stretch. He thought that maybe she didn’t realize what he meant when he said, ‘For Russia’ but didn’t take offense. Her cluelessness only intrigued him.  
“I can take you to the rink here, if you’re ever interested.” Yuri told her. Something about Asya was calming to him he concluded, as she shot a full smile towards him.  
“That would be awesome!” Asya perked up at the idea. Yuri couldn’t help but smile back.  
“Am I invited, too?” Lucas asked from behind them. Both Yuri and Asya turned to look at him at the same time.  
“Don’t feel inclined to invite him, Yuri.” Asya told him playfully. Yuri thought for a moment before giving his own response.  
“There’ll be enough room on the ice for you, sure.” Yuri told him, holding a light playful tone as well, and it made Lucas smile in response.

“Alright class..” Lucas brought everyone’s attention to him as he walked towards the front of the studio, away from where Yuri and Asya stood. He stood in front of a mirror lined wall before continuing.  
“I’ve seen some of you before, welcome back. But there’s also a lot of new faces. I like to start off each class just giving some info about myself, because let’s face it, you all know Americans like to talk about themselves.” This earned some laughs from people in the class, including Yuri. Lucas glanced at him with that small smile on his face, before speaking again.  
“My name is Lucas Miller, I’m from the sunshine state of California in the good old US of A. I’m here, studying abroad for a few more months before I complete my junior year of university and head back home.” Yuri watched and noticed how much he talked with his hands.  
“I’ve been doing dance classes since I was a child, and am pursuing it to hopefully one day open up my own studio much like this. So, thank you all for joining me on that journey, and I hope you like what you see here.” Lucas glanced at Yuri again, and Yuri just cocked his head to the side in response, crossing his arms.  
“If you have any questions, or concerns, please feel free to speak up as this room is a safe place. Or if you’d rather, text or call me any time outside of class. My business card is on the desk out front, if you don’t already have it. Now, let’s get down to business ladies and gentlemen.” Lucas grinned as he turned to face the mirrored wall.

The dozen or so people in the class filed into their own independent spots in front of the mirror. Yuri followed Asya, and stood far enough between her and another girl so that they all had enough room to move around freely.

“Now I’m going to show everyone from the beginning what we started learning last week. I’ll run through it first, then slow it down.” Lucas began as he turned on some music. It was something Yuri hadn’t heard before, but was very danceable. He watched as Lucas [went through the the mere 30 second routine.](https://youtu.be/_tqiHmAFTFQ) Some people in the class followed along slowly, as others stood just watching him.

Lucas showed them what he wanted to run through for the night, and did as he said he would, and slowed it down. He fleshed out each step and had everyone follow along, without the music, and he counted each step out slowly. He did this for most of the class speeding up progressively, and attentively watched everyone in the room follow him. Once he felt comfortable that most people got it down, he started walking around the room and counted out each step, to the speed the song was actually at.  
A few people had to watch others since they didn’t have Lucas to watch at the front of the class. Some were slow to get up to the tempo Lucas wanted them at. But Yuri had no troubles at all, and Lucas took notice how well he could follow along. Lucas walked in front of him, and smiled while counting out the steps. Yuri offered a quick smile as he tried to focus on what he was doing with his hands and feet. After running through it one more time in this fashion, Lucas gave them a water break. Yuri took the time to check his phone while simultaneously resting. Asya stood next to him, on her own phone.

“Yuri, I know it might be weird to ask, but do you mind if we take a photo? It’s okay to say no.” Asya hesitated nervously as she pulled up her instagram app. Yuri smiled as he shrugged and said, ‘Sure’ in acceptance. He normally would detest photos, even after years of being asked for them from his fans. But Asya didn’t strike him as annoying in any sense of the word. It was also a plus that she didn't produce cat ears for him to wear. She smiled as she shuffled closer to him, and held up a peace sign with her tongue hanging out. Yuri just gave a small side smile, and held his thumb up. Just as Asya was taking the photo, Lucas popped up from behind them wearing a shit eating grin. Asya’s reaction almost startled Yuri more than Lucas popping up in the picture did.

“Lucas! How often are you going to ruin my photos?!” She scolded him as she looked down at the photo she took. Lucas laughed heartily before also glancing at the photo on her phone.  
“Aw come on Asya, that one doesn’t look as bad as some of the ones you’ve taken with me photo bombing. It’s actually the best one you’ve taken.” He shrugged as he turned himself sideways to look at it better during the middle of his sentence. Asya growled slightly under her breath as she showed Yuri her phone.  
“What do you think?” Yuri glanced at the photo, and agreed with Lucas with a nod.  
“Well, at least Lucas is right about something for once.” She shot at him before taking to writing a caption with the photo. Lucas only took a swig from his water bottle with a smile on his face as a response.

Yuri turned his attention back to his own phone, reading the response back from Otabek.

**_O: Just don’t be mad if I ‘accidentally’ do, okay? ;P_ **

Yuri bit his lip to stop a grin from spreading across his entire face. While yes, Yuri wanted Otabek to get his rest and not waste his precious sleep on someone like himself, he couldn’t help but also want to come home to him and tell him about his experience, even if it was only through skype. All he could manage to respond with was a quick, ‘Fine :)’ before Asya asked him another question.

“Do you want me to tag you on instagram?” Again he smiled and said sure before telling her his handle. The notification popped up on his feed soon after and he glanced at the post on his own phone. He read the caption, ‘ _@asyalesposito: Yay for new nice friends like @yuri-plisetsky who offered to take me ice skating for my first time! Not so much yay for @lucasmdances photobombing for the millionth time >:( #Russia #Danceclass_’.  
He decided to repost the photo to his own timeline before hitting the follow button on both Asya’s and Lucas’s page. He didn’t think about it much as he started to scroll through Asya’s page, liking a photo here and there. He mentally noted that he needed to watch the dance videos she had uploaded.

“Y-Yuri?” He heard Asya squeak out, and he glanced up at her. He looked at her shocked expression as she held her phone up to him, showing him his own instagram page. He recently had put up a video from his morning skate, a picture of his cat, and a selfie, all of which had thousands of comments and likes. He raised an eyebrow, silently questioning what she meant by her action.  
“I think I understand what you finally mean...By skating for Russia.” She breathed as she held her phone back in front of herself. Yuri felt a genuine laugh fall from his lips.  
“I would have actually told you...Eventually.” He couldn’t stop the smile on his lips if he tried as he watched as she blushed and said something under her breath in Italian. As he laughed again, Lucas was directing everyone’s attention back to the front of the room.

They ran through the routine they practiced with the music this time, and only did it about 5 times through before Lucas called it a wrap. He told them all to be sure to practice, because they would warm up their next session with this routine before moving on to a new one.There was chatter between students as they exited the studio. The only 3 that stayed behind were Asya, Yuri, and Lucas. Yuri was doing his cool down stretches as he was again, on his phone. He buried a smile in his knee as he sat on the ground, while looking at a picture Otabek had texted him.

**_O: I think your cat is trying to tell me she’ll end our longest call yet if you don’t hurry home._ **

Yuri was looking at a webcam picture of his cat lying very close to his laptop, staring towards the screen. He barely paid attention to the cool down stretch he was working on as he responded.

**_Y: Whatever you do, Beka...Don’t make any sudden movements ;)_ **

Yuri was pleased with his response, as he stood up on his feet.

“Yuri...Yuri your fans have destroyed my phone.” Asya gasped as Yuri glanced towards her and watched as she struggled to refresh her feed fast enough for every like and comment.  
“Eh, yeah...They tend to do that.” He chuckled as he slid on his black zip up hoodie.  
“I think i’m already getting hate comments but I can’t read Russian all that well.” Asya said as she squinted at her phone.  
“That’s the last thing you need to read, Asya, is how much people dislike you for simply being around a person.” Lucas told her as he threw his water bottle in his bag.  
“Yeah, no need to waste your time trying to translate something that makes no difference otherwise.” Yuri agreed as Asya just smiled. Lucas shot him a smile, silently thanking him for agreeing. Their conversation quieted and Yuri was slowly going to take his leave before Lucas spoke up.

“Asya did you ask him to come to your class tomorrow afternoon?”  
“Yeah...But don’t feel obliged to, Yuri. I’m not sure if you’d like my style anyhow.” Asya bit her lip as she put her phone in her bag. Yuri placed his bag back down that he was readying to sling over his shoulders.  
“Show me.” He said as Asya and Lucas just stared at him.  
“Show me something that you’re gonna teach in your class.” Yuri explained as Asya just said, ‘Oh’ in response.  
“Come on Asya, we can do that routine you showed me the other day.” Lucas encouraged as she unzipped the hoodie she had put on and put it back down on top of her bag.  
“I might not teach that one though.” She said softly, smoothing her hair back towards the bun on her head. Yuri was curious as to why she was suddenly getting shy around him. She had been pretty open from the start, confidence radiating from her introduction. Yet, he remembered, she was pretty timid about asking for a simple picture. He realized maybe she just needed a soft push.

“Asya, i’ll visit your class regardless, I just really want to see your style.” Yuri said to her as he sat down on the floor, one leg extended out. This earned a confident smile from her and she nodded once, and walked over to the stereo and plugged in her phone.

Lucas stood on the side as the song started, letting Asya [start her routine on her own.](https://youtu.be/rgfF_c6uPaU?t=7s) Yuri couldn’t help but laugh as the song, Anaconda by Nicki Minaj first started, but soon focused on Asya in the mirror as she started to move. He watched her intently, the music filling the air as she smoothly worked through her routine. Yuri watched her face the most, [noticing how much she got into both the music and dance](https://youtu.be/mavy9X6Cno4?t=20s), and mentally noted that was something he wanted to work on, himself.  
Lucas joined her after about half a minute, twirling into his entry, a few feet behind and to the right of her. He began following in sync to her movements as they continued the song without a hitch. His sudden presence didn’t throw her off, which is what Yuri decided was the 2nd most interesting thing. She even seemed to get into it more as she mouthed some of the words. About 20 seconds later, he watched Lucas slide to her right side, and got down on a knee bouncing up and down, letting her dance out the chorus for a few seconds on her own. He smiled and stepped back up, instantly synced up with her again to finish out the routine.  
The song continued, past where the routine stopped, and Asya hurried slightly to turn it off completely.

“So?” Asya asked Yuri, as she wiped off some sweat that formed on her forehead with the back of her hand.  
“I think...That I will definitely have to practice that a lot to get it down, but I really do like it Asya.” Yuri said whole heartedly. Her style was a bit different than what he had practiced on his own, but it was definitely something he had researched and planned on working on.  
“I’ll help you practice any time you need, if you really want to learn my routine.” Asya smiled at him. Yuri just gave a re-affirming nod and smiled back.

Soon after, they were shuffling out of the studio, Lucas locking it up behind them.  
“So when are you going to take us ice skating, Yuri?” He asked as he pulled at the door he had just locked, to make sure that it was.  
“Mm…” Yuri thought about it for a moment, thinking about what day would be best to take them.  
“Maybe Friday afternoon? After your class, Asya?” Yuri contemplated, and directed his questions towards her.  
“That would work for me.” She smiled as she grabbed her car keys from her bag.  
“Okay, it’s a date then.” Lucas smiled towards Yuri, who only could slowly nod as his statement echoed in his head. A date? He wondered what his American mind thought of when he said the word date.  
They said their goodbyes as Asya went the opposite direction that both Yuri and Lucas started walking in. They were quiet as Lucas slightly trailed behind Yuri. Yuri wondered if it would be rude to put his headphones on instead of try and make small talk between the two of them. Lucas answered his internal question before he could decide.

“Yuri Plisetsky, the ice tiger of Russia.” Lucas breathed his full name, and nickname behind him. Yuri stopped and turned towards him, which made Lucas stop as well. Yuri gave him a questioning look, as he realized Lucas wasn’t reading it from a phone or anything, as that was put away.  
“What, you think just because Asya didn’t know who you were, I didn’t either?” He questioned quietly as Yuri slowly turned back around and kept walking. He heard Lucas take a few big strides behind him to catch up, as if he stayed still and watched Yuri walk away from him before realizing it.  
“Yuri you’ve been coming to the deli I work at for months now. I’m sorry that I didn’t deem it appropriate to lead off our first meeting by knowing who you were when you didn’t know who I was.” He explained, as he couldn’t gauge if Yuri was mad at him for keeping his knowledge a secret. Yuri slowed his pace, as he walked beside Lucas before responding.  
“I’m just surprised is all.” He stated, which was true. Most people who knew who he was usually came up to him in some fashion. At least, that’s what he was used to, especially in St. Petersburg.  
“Oh. Well don’t doubt your fame Yuri. You’ve earned it.” Lucas shrugged as they stood at a crosswalk, waiting for the light to change. Yuri furrowed his eyebrows a little. How much did he bother to learn about his career? Before Yuri could ask, Lucas was saying goodbye and turning off on a different path. Yuri said goodbye quietly, not even sure if Lucas could hear him, as he continued down the street he was on.  
He still wasn’t sure what to make of Lucas. On the phone he seemed...Odd to say the least. But in person, while still a bit odd, was fairly entertaining. Yuri tried to figure out his thoughts all the way up until he shut his bedroom door, and turned his attention towards his laptop. 

He hastily put his bag down and leaned over his bed to glance at his laptop to see if Otabek was awake or not. Otabek looked half asleep as he stared at his phone, but looked towards the screen to catch eyes with Yuri. He gave a wide smile as he put his phone away.

“Welcome home, Yura.” He said, as Yuri could hear the sleepiness in his voice and the pit of his stomach warmed at the mention of his name in said tone.  
“You’re going to be so tired tomorrow.” Yuri sighed, albeit a little bit happily. Otabek just shrugged in response as he laid his head on his arm. He had the words, ‘You’re worth it’ on the tip of his tongue but bit his lip instead of letting it slip out. Yuri just shook his head and excused himself to change quickly. Otabek was only a little disappointed that he couldn’t see but realized right now, close to midnight, that a shower wasn’t ideal to solve the problem he had the last time he watched Yuri undress.

After changing, Yuri had let his hair down and turned out his main light before settling into bed. He turned on a lamp that sat next to his bed, and ran his hand over his cat for a few moments and she purred back in response.  
“So I think I made...Friends.” Yuri struggled to say the words, because he wasn’t sure exactly what to call them. Like he had thought before, he was still trying to figure Lucas out. But if Asya considered him her friend, then he was okay with calling her that as well, regardless of the amount of time he had known her.  
“Yeah, I saw the picture you re-posted. I’m glad it wasn’t as nerve wracking as you thought it was going to be.” Otabek smiled genuinely. Yuri began to talk more, about the class, and about his new friends and for the first time in their friendship Otabek slightly tuned him out.

Otabek didn’t understand why he felt a pang in his chest earlier when he saw the picture surface on his feed. He had liked the photo, before pulling up Asya’s profile first. She was very pretty he noted, scrolling through her instagram which was mostly pictures of her with other people she had met in Russia. She of course also had dance related videos, as well as pictures of the Russian meals she had partook in so far. After he watched a couple of her videos that she had people take of her dancing, he moved onto Lucas’s profile.  
His feed consisted of mostly the same thing, but had a lot more selfies of himself than pictures of him with others. They had obscure quotes under them and Otabek felt his own eyes narrow. Before he realized he was deep into his feed, pictures dating back to almost a year, before he was even in Russia. He felt his lips pursing at every selfie he came across, which was excessive he thought. Otabek suddenly realized what he was doing, and couldn’t understand what he felt bubbling in his chest at this man he had no idea about.  
He wasn’t lying when he said he was glad, and he was especially happy for Yuri. The fact that he could find friends outside of the ones he had, especially off of the rink was almost something to celebrate. Otabek chalked up his feelings to be the fact that he wasn’t there to witness it all. He wanted to be part of this experience more than he initially thought. Which only led Otabek to researching some dance routines on his own soon after exiting Instagram.

“Beka…” Yuri’s voice said quietly, bringing Otabek back to reality. He felt his face get hot, and suddenly felt sorry for ignoring what Yuri had been talking about. Yuri only gave a soft smile.  
“You’re tired, please go to sleep.” He told him as Otabek slowly sighed and nodded.  
“Goodnight, Yura.” Otabek said, as he turned onto his back, staring at his ceiling.  
“Goodnight, Beka.” Yuri responded as also laid his head down, staring towards his computer screen. He wondered what it would be like to actually fall asleep next to him on a bed. Yuri shoved his face in his pillow to hide a grin as he also thought about cuddling with him. He imagined he would be soft yet firm, and have enough warmth to supply for the both of them. He fell asleep thinking about it, letting it drive his dreams.

~~~

Friday had come almost too soon, Yuri thought to himself as he walked to Asya’s class. The last time he was there, not too many people showed up - three others aside from himself to be exact. Lucas had work at the same time on most afternoons, which Asya didn’t hold against him. It wasn’t his fault that her classes were scheduled at the time they were. Yuri noticed the lack of students bothered Asya some, so made a silent promise to always show up to her classes. He had showed up a bit early, but the studio was locked, so opted to start his stretches outside while waiting.  
He sent off a picture of a cute cat to Otabek, hoping he hadn’t seen it before. But knew Otabek wouldn’t tell him even if he did. Out of the corner of his eye he saw someone approaching, and slid his headphones off and stopped his music. Asya pulled her own ear buds out, and gave him a surprised smile as she started unlocking the studio.

“I’m a bit shocked that you're here. I almost didn’t even show up to my own class.” She told him, the smile she was wearing, slightly fading. She walked in and held the door open for him and he followed behind her. This made Yuri frown a bit as they entered the studio and the door shut behind them.  
“Not many people show up on Fridays...If at all.” She explained further, trying to smile but Yuri could tell it was for his sake more than because she wanted to.  
“Asya…” Yuri started as she turned her back and headed towards the mirrored wall where the speaker sat in a corner and she searched for the auxiliary cord to plug into her phone.  
“Sorry Yuri that all kind of just...Came out. I don’t mean to try and make a pity party for myself. I like dancing alone just as much as with other people.” She tried to make light of the conversation she had started. But Yuri knew what she was saying wasn’t true. From the moment he saw her dancing, he knew that she thrived dancing with other people, even if it was simply one other person. 

Yuri didn’t exactly pity her, but understood where she was coming from. He knew what it felt like to have burning passion for something and not be able to share that with people. When he was small, he remembered living in his own little world of skating. Instead of being able to make friends, people were intimidated by his skill and determination. But he didn’t let the lack of relationships bother him, but rather let this fuel the fire that burned in him for the sport. That still burns in him, even though with a different type of kindling. He wasn’t going to let Asya think she had no one to share in her enthusiasm about dance.

“Asya, I’m always going to show up to your classes. I like dancing with you.” He stated as he dropped his bag on the back wall. Her eyes lit up, and before he knew it Asya was throwing herself at him in a hug. He stumbled backwards, stunned at first but returned the warm embrace almost involuntarily. He felt her chest start to move and a laugh fall from her lips near his ear before she released him and stood in front of him with the most childlike smile Yuri thought he’d ever seen.  
“Grazie Yuri. Even if it’s just us two always, I would be okay with that. Failing as a teacher but I guess passing in the friend department.” Asya shrugged and he just smiled and gave a reassuring nod as she turned back around towards the mirror wall and let out a happy sigh. 

She moved towards her phone and pressed play on the music she pulled up. The music wasn’t loud in the studio, as they could still talk to each other over it. She liked to warm up her classes by freestyling to a song or two. During the first class two days prior, Yuri was nervous to even try it. He hadn’t really done anything else but follow a routine. But after watching Asya lose herself in the music and not worry about the people around her, he tried to imitate the feeling.  
Today the music easily washed over him and he felt his body start to move before he could even think about it too long. He watched Asya smile at him in the mirror as they both did their own warm up dancing to a remix of Shake It Off by Taylor Swift. Even though it was the same song she was using for her routine in the class, they both came up with something different.  
After they warmed up for a few minutes, they went through [the routine she showed him in the class prior](https://youtu.be/FvnjnrCZsho?t=3s). Yuri was finding that the movements came to him easier with each replay and started focusing on his facial reactions. He wanted to be more animated, like Asya easily was.

Class ended a little earlier than the hour mark, because Asya couldn’t contain her excitement about ice skating for the first time. Yuri walked them to the skating rink and sent a text with the address to Lucas. He also responded to a cat photo Otabek sent him, with another of his own. They didn’t need much conversation most days as cat photos sufficed for both of them.

“Ya know, I looked up some of your skating routines.” Asya confessed as she broke the quietness between them. Yuri, for some reason, felt his cheeks start to burn. Why was he suddenly embarrassed of something he was so proud of?  
“And?” He questioned, waiting for her to continue her thought.  
“You’re beautiful on the ice, Yuri. That also translates very easily in the studio.” She shrugged nonchalantly. She looked around at the shops and people they were passing instead of looking at Yuri’s reaction.  
“Hm.” He felt his chest resonate as the sound came at a stop in his throat. He smiled, watching how intrigued she was with the world surrounding her.  
“Thanks Asya. The videos you have on your instagram don’t do your own dancing style justice, you do know that right?” He told her as her head spun towards him. The only ones she had up on her page was her performing other people’s routines, and not something from her imagination. Yuri could tell without even asking.  
“Maybe you can help me change that one day.” She grinned and wrapped her wrist around his elbow excitedly, as they approached the ice rink. 

Before even glancing up as they climbed the stairs, Yuri heard Victor’s voice distinctly. He was speaking in their native tongue, addressing a couple cameras that were in his face about the upcoming season and what his thoughts were. Somehow, Yuri had slipped by without any of the press noticing, but not without Victor noticing them. He finished his interview soon after, and followed Yuri and Asya inside. Yuri was standing at the front counter, asking about Asya’s shoe size when Victor interrupted them.

“Yurio, you didn’t tell me you were bringing friends.” He smiled as Yuri turned towards him, feeling himself start to glare at the nickname he still used every now and then.  
“Well, I didn’t expect you to still be here.” He replied as he turned back around and told the woman behind the counter Asya’s shoe size.  
“Or maybe you just didn’t want me to meet your new friend.” Victor pouted as he suddenly took Asya’s hand in his and kissed it sweetly.  
“ _Piacere di conoscerti, mia signora_ (Nice to meet you, my lady).” Victor said along with his greeting and Yuri rolled his eyes. Asya’s eyes lit up and her face went red.  
“Stop showing off, Victor.” Yuri sighed as he handed Asya her skates and led her to the locker room to drop off their bags. They found Yuuri sitting on a bench, pulling on his shoes.

“My Yuuri.” Victor purred as if he hadn’t seen him for ages, and forced himself in his lap, wrapping his arms around his neck and sitting on him sideways. Yuuri wrapped a firm grip around Victor’s waist without even a second thought and smiled happily at him. Asya grinned as she thought it was the cutest introduction into these stranger’s lives. Yuri furrowed his eyebrows slightly, and lightly growled at the sight. They had captivated another person with their relationship it seemed, as he glanced at Asya who was staring at them.  
“Victor, Yuuri, this is Asya. She’s here from Italy, studying dance.” He reluctantly huffed out as he walked a little past the bench they were sitting on and opened his locker, grabbing his skates.  
“Ciao.” She smiled happily, and waved.  
“Nice to meet you, Asya.” Yuuri smiled as Victor released his grip from around his shoulders and turned towards her, his back now facing his husband.  
“Will this be your first time skating?” He asked her as Yuri took a seat on the bench across from them, and quietly told her to do the same.  
“Yes! I’m very excited to learn. Especially from someone as talented as Yuri.” She nodded happily as Yuri began slipping on his skates. He felt himself smile as he bent over and started lacing them.  
“My little Yuratchka teaching someone how to skate for the first time. How sweet.” Victor cooed as he put his hands flat against each other in front of himself, the tips of his fingers resting on his lips. Yuri just shot a look towards him as he moved on to lacing his other skate.  
“Do you mind if we stay then ?” Victor addressed his question towards Asya as Yuri shot his head up at him with a near scowl. But his piercing gaze softened as he directed his attention back towards Asya as she spoke.  
“You’re ice skaters too, aren’t you? I mean world renowned ice skaters...I don’t know if I’ll be able to handle 3 of you watching me fail.” She laughed nervously.  
“Nonsense, the fact that you’re even excited about the sport is what matters.” Yuuri answered for them collectively. Asya took a moment to respond as she seemed to be thinking.  
“Okay, I don’t mind if you stay. On one condition though…” A small smile formed on her face as they waited for her to explain.  
“I want to see some routines!” She said excitedly and clapped twice with a bright smile on her face. Yuri laughed as Victor and Yuuri glanced at each other with a smile and shrugged.  
“I think we can meet your requirement.” Victor told her as he got up and went to his locker, and Yuuri followed suit grabbing their own skates. Yuri finished tying his skate and turned towards Asya.

“Here, let me help.” He said softly as he watched her slide on both skates and attempt to tie them. Her left leg hung over his knees as he tied the first skate for her, asking if it felt too tight. She shook her head and he moved on to tying her right skate. Once he finished, he stood up before helping her to her feet. They slowly walked together towards the empty rink, her wrist again holding him at his elbow. He led her to the edge of the boards, and she gratefully leaned against it. Victor and Yuuri followed behind them, holding hands and walking in their skates as if it was the most natural thing.  
“Will you be okay here?” Yuri asked her as the couple took the ice before he did.  
“Yeah, of course.” She smiled at him.  
“Eh, also if you could, keep an eye out for Lucas. He didn’t respond to my text so I don’t know where he’s at.” Yuri let her know, as he took off his skate guards and placed them beside her on the wall.  
“I’m sure they just kept him over today. He’ll be fine.” She let him know as he nodded and took the ice. Yuuri and Victor were on the other side of the rink already, taking a slow lap around, still hand in hand. Yuri only shook his head as he skated slowly himself, trying to really feel the ice beneath him. He was only here a few hours before, but still had to get back into his skating mindset, and out of his dancing one. All three skaters only took a couple warm up laps before moving on to warming up their spins and rotations. Once they each felt warmed up enough, Yuri stepped off the ice and let the married couple have the space. 

Victor had let him know they were going to do their infamous duetto and asked nicely if he could play the song for them overhead. Yuri had just nodded in response. He put his skate guards back on, and smiled at Asya as he walked over to their speaker set up and plugged in Victor’s phone who already had the song loaded up on it. He pushed play and walked back over to where Asya stood leaned against the wall, the first notes already flowing out of the speakers. Yuuri had started the sequence, as it seemed like this routine came second nature to him. He landed his first jump, and then his second with perfect execution before Victor joined him on the ice. Yuri watched Asya’s reaction as they danced and skated with each other like they had always done with this routine. Her mouth was spread wide open in a gleeful grin as she watched them together. Soon their skating slowed and they spun in circles within each other’s arms, even after the song ended. As they stopped, and stayed gazing at each other, Asya couldn’t help herself and started clapping excitedly.

“Magnifico!” She exclaimed as her praise earned a small wave and smiles from the couple. They exited the ice, and Yuri simply just asked Victor to hit play on his phone for him that was already plugged in. Victor smiled to himself after noticing what song it was.  
“Now who’s showing off.” Victor said to himself, shooting a glance towards Yuri who was waiting in the middle of the ice, and finally pressed play.

The familiar sounds of, ‘On Love: Agape’ filled the quiet rink as Yuri began his sequence by raising his left arm and then bringing it around his face, letting the movements push the rest of his routine forward. Victor had shuffled his way back to where he left his husband beside Asya, and stood between them, grabbing Yuuri’s hand in the process. The three of them watched quietly as Yuri confidently moved on the ice, landing every jump flawlessly. They were so enthralled by Yuri’s skating that they hadn’t even noticed Lucas standing behind them, leaning against the door frame of the locker room.  
Yuri had his attention barely on the music, as thoughts of Otabek decided to cloud his mind. The movements were so ingrained in his bones that he allowed his thoughts to wander. He suddenly felt a longing to hear his best friend’s voice. Realistically, the last time he heard it was barely 18 hours prior, when they said their goodnights. Since Otabek was 3 hours ahead though, it was very rare that he was still around in the morning when Yuri woke up.  
But Yuri was realizing he needed to actually _hear_ it, in person. It had been months since either had been able to plan a visit for longer than a couple days. No phone or webcam quality microphone could pick up the voice that belonged to him well enough. Not the way Yuri heard it when he was standing in front of him. Yuri missed the rise and fall of his inflections he had grown to like, no matter what he was saying. He wanted to hear his sultry honey soaked voice saying his name. He wanted to hear his overly sleepy voice he found absolutely adorable and his deep groggy morning voice that made Yuri’s stomach burst with butterflies.  
Yuri barely had time to register the wide smile that was involuntarily spread across his face at the thoughts, before his body had finished his routine for him. He waited for his mind to catch up to the moment, and a strong, loud slow clap brought him there. His heart skipped a beat as it reminded him of Otabek, but when he looked at who the sound was coming from, he was surprised. Lucas was still leaning against the door frame, and was the only one clapping with that small smile on his face Yuri was sure was always permanently there.

“I never thought I’d ever see Agape performed live.” He said, his voice resonating in the quietness. Yuri quietly skated over to where Asya, Victor, and Yuuri were turned around and looking at Lucas, before responding.  
“All you have to do is ask.” He told him, as Lucas began walking towards them on a pair of skates himself. Yuri noticed he wasn’t struggling or unsure of his steps like everyone who first wore them did.  
“Mm. I’ll have to keep that in mind.” Lucas’s lip tugged upwards into a larger smile than what was already on his face as he responded. For a moment, Yuri felt like they were the only two in the rink, as the other three were quieter than he ever thought they could be. Yuri opened his mouth, trying to find a response. Thankfully someone else spoke up before an awkward silence settled.

“And you are…?” Victor interrupted, recognizing his face but not making the connection.  
“Ah, I’m sorry that was very rude of me.” Lucas’s face started to blush as he turned towards the couple.  
“I’m Lucas Miller, I work at the deli you all like to go to for lunch sometimes. You’re Victor Nikiforov, and you are Yuuri Katsuki. Pleasure meeting you two.” Lucas held out a hand politely, slightly bowing. Victor turned towards his husbands ear, and spoke in Japanese his thoughts.  
“ _Kare wa anata ni otabeku o sukoshi omoidasa semasen ka?_ (Doesn't he remind you of Otabek a little?)” Yuuri nodded in response as they both stared at Lucas.  
“Hey, none of that shit.” Yuri waved his hand in front of the two of them. He didn’t understand what was said exactly, but he knew Otabek’s name in any language. He hated the fact that they conversed in something that was foreign to him in the first place.  
“Sorry, where are my manners?” Victor smiled as he shook Lucas’s outstretched hand without a second thought. Yuuri followed suit, also smiling.  
“But my last name is actually Nikiforov-Katsuki now, and my husband’s last na-”  
“We get it, you’re married and in love.” Yuri cut him off before he could finish. Victor just grinned as he flashed Lucas his wedding ring, and made Yuuri do the same.  
“My apologies.” Lucas offered as Victor told him it was okay and again spoke in Japanese to his husband.  
“ _Mōichido misu o shinaide kudasai…_ (Just don't make the mistake again…)” This earned a small push from Yuuri and Yuri fought the urge to roll his eyes.  
“Can you two at least make yourself useful and put on some music so it’s not so goddamn quiet in here?” Yuri asked as they slowly obliged and walked hand in hand to the sound system, still speaking in Japanese.

“Sorry about them. They’re old and I think they’re beginning to lose it up here.” Yuri told Lucas as he pointed towards his brain. Lucas chuckled as he leaned next to Asya on the board.  
“Are you ready?” Yuri asked Asya as she had been silent this entire time.  
“Yes!” Asya said excitedly as she reached for Yuri’s hand that he stretched out to her. He slowly walked her onto the ice that he was standing on.  
“You’ll want to bend your knees slightly. Try to keep your feet leaned in on the inside edges.” Yuri tried to explain as Asya looked down at her feet, trying to mimic what Yuri was saying.  
“Eh, like this.” Yuri tried to show what he meant, leaning his feet inward, to where his knees were almost touching.  
“You don’t need to touch your knees together, I was just trying to show you what way I meant.” He said quietly as she finally understood.  
“Okay now let’s see you take a step.” He said as he watched what she did with her feet. While they did accomplish moving forward, the way she pushed off wasn’t correct. Before he could tell her this, Yuri watched Lucas as he took a step on the ice beside them and glided perfectly. He silently wondered when the first time he ice skated was.

“See okay, that was pretty good Asya.” Yuri encouraged, returning his attention to her.  
“But when you step off, you actually want to push your foot out to the side, instead of directly behind you. Lucas can you show her what I mean, please?” Yuri asked his assistance as Lucas turned around to face them.  
“Certainly.” He stood at an angle, and pushed off exactly how Yuri had described it, moving towards where they stood on the ice.  
“Lucas how come you didn’t tell us you’ve skated before?” Asya asked, not annoyed but rather curious. She slowly pushed herself forward, coming close to how Lucas demonstrated.  
“Mm, I didn’t think it was important. I used to skate a lot when I was a kid.” He shrugged and skated backwards, watching Yuri being patient with Asya, and holding her hand.  
“There you go, I think you’re starting to get the hang of it.” Yuri told her as she took a few more glided steps.  
“Do you think you can try without my support?” He asked, not wanting to release her if she was uncomfortable.  
“Mm...Just try and be fast to catch me if I fall, okay?” She asked as Yuri smiled and slowly let go of her hand. The sudden change made Asya jolt, but she took a moment standing still on her own before pushing off. She made sure her knees were a little bent, and that she was leaning on the inside edges slightly. She took a few strides on her own as Lucas and Yuri skated in front of her, both of them skating backwards.  
“Hey, I think I am getting the hang of this.” She smiled confidently as she started to pick up the pace. But soon realized she had yet to learn the most important thing to know as a beginner: How to stop.  
“Uh…” She trailed off as she was beelining straight for Yuri who was backed up against the rink. He suddenly braced for a crash, hoping he could catch her before they both fell to the ground. But instead of them colliding, Asya decided at the last second to fall on her butt to brake. Both Lucas and Yuri lunged to grab an arm or a hand before she fell all the way, but weren’t fast enough. She fell hard on the ground, and came to a sliding stop right in front of Yuri. The impact made Victor and Yuuri both look up from where they were standing off of the ice.

“Asya are you okay?” Yuri asked with concern, as he slowly slid down the wall onto his own butt to be on her level. She let out a painful sigh but slowly nodded.  
“Do you need help?” Victor called out, readying himself to walk onto the ice as Yuri just waved him off.  
“I’m sorry.” Asya managed to say as Yuri shook his head emphatically.  
“No, Asya I’m the one who is supposed to be apologizing. Teaching you how to stop should have been the first thing on my list. I’ve never really taught anyone how to skate before.” Yuri sighed in frustration at himself, as he scooted closer to her so that they were sitting sideways, and facing each other. Yuri could feel the warmth radiating from her thigh next to his. Lucas slowly lowered himself onto his butt as well and sat next to them.  
“I think I’ll be alright, I just want to sit here for a minute okay?” Asya said as she smiled, and let her legs stretch out in front of her on the ice.

“Why didn’t you let me catch you?” Yuri asked her, realizing she fell on her butt intentionally upon seeing him brace to try and catch her. She looked away nervously and didn’t face Yuri when she answered.  
“I didn’t want to hurt you.” She said quietly as he cocked his head to the side.  
“But you would rather hurt yourself instead?” He questioned as he wasn’t really understanding why she would choose that option. He was more than capable of supporting both of their weight.  
“Of course. Why would I risk injuring you?” She questioned him back. His brows furrowed in further confusion.  
“Yuri, if she crashed into you and you both tumbled on the ice then you would both be hurt.” Lucas tried to weigh in. His eyes narrowed as his mind tried to process the hidden meaning behind what they were saying.  
“Are you...Are you suggesting that my well being is more important?” Yuri said in more of a statement than a question. Asya just glanced at Lucas, both trying to find a response, but this answered Yuri better than anything they could come up with. 

He almost scoffed at the idea that they felt inferior to him. But then he thought about the fact that he had never been friends with anyone off the ice. The closest people to him had always been on the same playing level as him, or at least knew how to ice skate. He remembered how it was when he was younger, most people avoiding his advances at a friendship until he just accepted he was meant for the ice and not meaningful relationships. But that was extremely different now. He had many people that were the spark for his passion of skating, and couldn’t imagine a time where he didn’t have them nor did he want to try.  
He didn’t want Asya and Lucas thinking he shared their same feeling. Because he didn’t, not in the slightest. Sure, he definitely knew he was superior on the ice - He believed he was the best in that rink right then and there no matter the gold medal count. But to think he was superior all around, just simply as a human? No, that didn’t sit right with him whatsoever.

“You guys…” Yuri sighed as he looked down at his skates contemplating.  
“I have never once thought that I was better than you. If I have ever given that impression, then i’m sorry, but that’s simply not true nor is it right.” Yuri continued as he pulled off a strand of cat hair from his black leggings. It almost hurt him that they thought they were second rate to him.  
“Yuri, you’ve never given that impression so please don’t worry!” Asya said, with an apologetic look on her face.  
“Yeah we kind of just came up with that concept on our own. Considering...I don’t think either of us have many friends with gold medals.” Lucas added, glancing at Asya who shook her head, agreeing that gold medals weren’t the norm in her friend circle as it was in Yuri’s.  
“To be fair, we’re pretty normal people. Well...Most of us anyways.” Yuri breathed a laugh as he glanced up towards Victor and Yuuri. Victor noticed their stares and waved with a stupid grin on his face.  
“We’re sorry for putting you on a pedestal you didn’t ask to be on.” Asya apologized for the both of them.  
“It’s okay, I understand. I just want you guys to treat me as normal as possible. I mean...Just be yourselves, please.” Yuri told them as they nodded and said, ‘Okay.’

They sat in a content silence for a few moments, before Asya’s phone broke it. Her brows wrinkled before she answered the call.

“Ciao. Mm, yeah we’re skating right now...Wait, what?” Her voice pitched up in tone with her question.  
“Send me the goddamn photo, right now.” She said suddenly as she pulled the phone away from her ear. Yuri was waiting for any kind of explanation to the one sided convo.  
“ _Che cazzo?_ (What the fuck?)” She breathed as her eyes widened. Her mouth started to slowly fall open as she hung up on whoever was on the other line. Yuri didn’t like the look she had on her face.  
“Asya, talk to us.” Lucas said what was on Yuri’s mind.  
“Y-Yuri…” The way she said his name reminded him of when she was first finding out that he figure skated competitively. He didn’t feel like he was going to like what it meant this time around. Asya struggled for more words but showed him what was on her phone instead. Yuri focused his eyes on a picture of both of them. She had her wrist around his elbow and they were smiling. He realized it was a picture of them from barely over an hour ago, before they walked into the skating rink. Had the media seen them after all? Or was it a fan that had noticed them? The source was irrelevant Yuri realized as he watched Asya start to slowly come apart in front of him. She had started reading what people were saying about it. Social media had its pros but many many cons. She brought her hand to her mouth as she couldn’t stop herself from reading different blog headlines that were forming. The newest headline read, ‘ _Ice Tiger of Russia Hiding New Girlfriend? Find Out the Facts Here!_ ’. The photo was starting to go viral. 

“Asya like I said last time there’s no need to read something th-” Yuri started as Asya cut him off.  
“I’m so sorry Yuri!” She exclaimed as Yuri noticed her eyes were tearing up. His gut instinct was to hug her close to him, which he did hastily. She leaned into him, needing it more than she realized. Soon after he felt her tears falling on his right shoulder.  
“Asya why are you sorry?” He asked her softly, only loud enough so that she could hear him as she sniffled next to him. She pulled away from him, her face wet with tears that were spilling from her eyes.  
“Because I don’t want to be the reason you’re being talked about! It’s not right. What they’re saying in this article, it doesn’t even make any sense. I haven’t even known you for a week and they’re writing about a romantic relationship that doesn’t even exist…” Her breath hitched as she realized that maybe Yuri also got the wrong idea behind her intentions as a friend. The realization washed over her and she pushed herself a little more away from him to give them some distance.

“Yuri I don’t want you to take this wrong way…” She started, wiping at her face, as he just waited for her to continue.  
“I mean you’re goddamn adorable, and anyone in this universe would be lucky to have you as a lover, but I don’t have any intention on trying to be with you romantically.” She explained as she held her hands up and shook them back and forth. She started to ramble on as Yuri tried to listen.

He hadn’t thought about her actions or her intentions with their friendship. It had never occurred to him that people could start a relationship so early into a friendship. Don’t most people become friends, maybe even best friends before becoming romantically involved? He realized he had a lot more to learn when it came to people and relationships in general. Asya was still talking when he started to actually listen to her again.

“...And I understand if you don’t want me to touch you like this anymore, especially in public. I forget that stuff like this can come off as flirting…” She referred to the picture, where she had wrapped her arm around his out of happiness. Yuri hadn’t taken it that way at all. Again he got lost in his mind as Asya still babbled.  
He thought about all the times anyone had touched him. He didn’t think anyone he interacted with on that level was flirting with him. Then he thought about Otabek and couldn’t help but wonder if any of the times they had touched, was he trying to flirt? Did Otabek think that about Yuri’s intentions? What even was flirting? He shook his head, trying to push the idea to the back of his mind.

“Asya…” He said quietly, trying to get her to stop talking so he could say something. He said her name 2 more times before he resorted to just putting his finger gently on her lips. It caught her off guard but worked on quieting her.  
“I never thought anything you have said or did was flirting. To be honest, that kind of stuff falls short on me.” Yuri laughed a little nervously, not sure if he wanted to delve into his inexperience in dating and relationships at the moment.  
“I don’t care what anyone on social media writes or thinks about me. I haven’t for a long time. I think that’s the only way anyone can really survive in my sport.” He continued as he thought about the various articles he’s come across and dismissed just as fast.  
“Honestly, i’m more worried about how I reflect on you. You don’t deserve to be under the limelight in this regard.” He sighed. He hadn’t really quite thought about the repercussions of earning new friends that weren’t already exposed to things like this.

“And thank you for the flattering words. I’m also on the same level as you regarding my intentions with our friendship. But like I said before, I want you to be yourself. If you feel the need to hug me, or hold my hand at any given time, then do it. I trust you to be the judge of the moment.” He shrugged as he honestly didn’t care. A couple years prior he might have, but Otabek and Victor and the other people in his life opened up a new window to hugs and the like. He sometimes even craved it, without the attachment of romance. Sometimes with it.  
“Well, I’ll definitely have to work on the limelight part. I guess that kind of comes with the package of being your friend hm?” She smiled as she continued to dry her face with her hands.  
“But I can definitely be myself, if that’s truly what you want.” She told him as he smiled back.  
“Of course.” He felt her arms wrap around his neck in an embrace.  
“Thank you.” She whispered as he just returned her hug. He realized that she was shivering and didn’t know how long she had been. They were sitting on ice after all.

“Eh, let’s get you up and moving again, shall we?” He asked her as he stood up and reached his hands down for her to grab. Lucas shuffling behind them caught him off guard, as for a good while he had forgotten about his presence. Yuri wondered what his thoughts on the whole ordeal was but didn’t ask. Lucas got to his feet and skated behind Asya to help Yuri pick her up. Yuri held onto both of her hands as Lucas pulled her up to standing by wrapping his arms underneath hers. Asya grimaced in pain and tried not to fall back down from the shock of it. She grabbed at the nearest railing, still holding onto one of Yuri’s hands. Yuri bit his lip in thought. He knew she needed off the ice ASAP.

“Asya, get on my back.” He heard himself say as he dropped her hand and turned around bracing for her.  
“Eh?” Was all she could muster, not understanding why he would suggest such a thing.  
“I want to get you off the ice. I think we’ve had enough of it today.” He told her without turning back around to face her and kept his bracing position.  
“But…” She trailed off as Lucas spoke up.  
“Asya just do it. I’ll help.” He told her as he reached his hand out for her. She just nodded her head lightly and climbed onto Yuri’s back with the help of balance from Lucas. Her arms wrapped around the front of his neck, and her thighs wrapped above his waist. Yuri gripped right underneath her knees, and her skates stuck out straight in front of them. All three slowly made their way across the rink as Victor and Yuuri waited patiently for them at the exit of the ice. Yuri stopped before reaching the waiting couple, a sly smile forming on his face at a thought. Lucas stopped beside him, and leaned forward searching his face, wondering if Yuri was okay. 

“Victor can you take a picture on my phone of us?” Yuri asked. Victor didn’t hesitate as he grabbed his phone that he had safe in his pocket.  
“Yuri?” Asya asked not following his thought process.  
“Just trust me.” He smiled as Victor was readying to take a picture. Lucas started to skate away but Yuri spoke before he got too far away.  
“I want you in it too.” He said as he just glanced out of the corner of his eyes towards him. He was still facing Victor and the camera. Lucas shuffled back over to where Yuri was standing, standing close to him.  
“Lean on me.” Yuri told him quietly as he obliged. Lucas wrapped his right arm around the small of Yuri’s back, just underneath Asya. Yuri could feel his warm grip on his waist but ignored the sensation. Yuri raised his right hand holding up a middle finger, and stuck his tongue out. Asya realized what he finally meant behind this picture, and grinned and held up both of her hands with middle fingers of her own. Lucas smiled and brought his left hand up and followed suit, also sticking his tongue out. Victor shook his head slightly with a smile before counting down and taking a few pictures.  
Lucas helped Asya down off of Yuri’s back before all five of them made their way back to the locker room. Victor handed Yuri his phone but didn’t fully release it and they both gripped onto it.  
“ _Vy sobirayetes' nachat' ogon' s etim_...(You’re going to start a fire with this…)” He spoke to him quietly as they glanced at each other. Yuri thought he saw a flash of worry on Victor’s face before he responded.  
“What more do you expect from me? I still am the Russian punk after all, right?” He smiled and Victor couldn’t help but smile back. Victor didn’t say anything more as he turned towards Asya who had slowly just sat down on the bench with Lucas’s help. Victor offered politely to help Asya out of her skates and started untying them for her before she could say no.

Yuri looked down at the pictures that were still pulled up on his phone. He smiled to himself as he pulled up Instagram, trying to think up the perfect caption to sum up how he felt.  
‘ _@yuri-plisetsky: The only fact you need to read is this - My relationships don’t need an explanation, so stop expecting one ;) @asyalesposito @lucasmdances_ ’ He bit his lip in satisfaction as he posted the photo. The reaction was almost instant, and he watched comments start to flood in. He didn’t bother reading any, sliding his phone back into his pocket, before turning his attention to Asya and Lucas.

“Sorry but from now on, I suggest you guys turn on notifications for people you actually follow and want to hear from.” Yuri told them as he sat down and started to untie his skates, with a smirk on his face. And before either of them registered what he meant, both Lucas and Asya’s phones started going off with notification after notification. Both of them hurried to put their phone on silent as all Yuri could do was laugh almost maniacally. He didn’t realize how much fun it could be to be the one to throw a match on a gasoline soaked social media fervor.

But what Yuri didn’t know, was that this picture also became Otabek’s fuel for his taekwondo session that day. He was in the middle of practice on a break, when he saw the photo. All Otabek noticed was Lucas’s arm around Yuri and it had set him off before he even read the caption. His jaw immediately clenched at the sight and couldn’t even scroll down the rest of his timeline. He put his phone away before cutting his break short and put his gloves back on. He started attacking a punching bag, as his trainer got up from his break and stood next to him, watching his form. He gave feedback every now and then to Otabek, but mostly just watched him work through what they had been practicing. Even his trainer could tell something was different about his demeanor.

Otabek’s mind was loud even in the quiet room, apart from the impact sounds of his gloves and feet hitting the bag periodically. He knew what the burning in his chest was. He had felt it when he first saw Lucas with Yuri a few days prior via Instagram, but he didn’t want to admit it. But there was no denying this feeling of _jealousy_ that tore through him. It was an unfamiliar sensation, something he hadn’t felt much in his life before. But today maybe for the first time ever, it raged and wound him up. He took it out on the punching bag in front of him, barely following along the movements his trainer had asked of him.

He didn’t want to imagine Yuri falling for someone else but it’s all that invaded his mind. He didn’t want to think someone else could care about him like he did, or take care of him as well as he believed he could. Otabek was soon admitting to himself how bad he had it for Yuri. The fact that a picture, that probably meant absolutely nothing to Yuri, pissed him off was a sure sign. He was all he wanted, and he was driving himself mad by not doing anything about it. Which in turn made Otabek even angrier at himself for being an idiot. 

Of course nothing happened between them yet, because he didn’t allow it to. He had always wanted Yuri to want him back just as much, so insisted on waiting for the possibility. But how were either of them supposed to know what the other felt if they never talked about that kind of stuff? Otabek was almost just as inexperienced as Yuri was with relationships, having only been in one once but that was in high school, and that was nothing like how he felt now. But somehow he just knew Yuri felt at least something for him, more than their friendship. Now was the question of how Otabek was going to go about telling him those feelings. He hadn’t really contemplated the idea much before now, kind of just hoping it would happen spontaneously. But ultimately he decided he wanted to do something special for him, not that he thought he had to prove his feelings, but more as an official announcement of them. His lips twitched into a smile as he thought about dancing again. He would do anything for Yuri, even that.

Otabek didn’t realize he had been standing in front of the punching bag with his head leaned on it for the past couple minutes or so. His trainer didn’t say anything either and just watched, curious what was going on in his head. When Otabek finally registered what he was doing and where he was at, he jerked back and cleared his throat.

“Sorry, I guess i’m more tired than I thought.” Otabek managed to say as his trainer chuckled softly.  
“It’s fine, just go home and get some rest. We’ll pick it up again the next time you come in.” He shrugged it off, and Otabek gratefully accepted his leave. As he left, he knew he wouldn’t be coming back to this gym for a long time. His heart had him gravitating to learn how to dance for the first time since he gave up ballet as a child. Except this time, he wasn’t going to give up so easily.

~~~

“Otabek...Do you know what time it is?” Otabek barely realized what he was doing the next morning as he showed up at his parent’s house looking for his younger sister who reluctantly was the one standing at the front door. He had been up most of the night, researching songs and dances that he liked. He had looked through a variety of routines on YouTube, but honestly had no idea how to even start mimicking them. So his first instinct, naturally, was to come to his younger sister who actually knew a thing or two about dancing.

“Sofia, i’m sorry...I didn’t realize the time.” He managed to say as he slowly started to turn away from where she was standing at the door, rubbing at her eyes before putting glasses on her face.  
“Beka, get back here.” She softly demanded as he sighed and turned around back towards her. She noticed how sleep deprived he was, yet looking as if he was wired on something. His clothes, some gray sweatpants, a white t-shirt and a black zip up hoodie, were wrinkled and looked as if he just threw on the first thing he found to wear.  
“You kinda look like shit.” She said as she eyed him trying to read why he was visiting so early in the morning.  
“Hey watch your mouth.” He retorted as she smiled.  
“Beka you woke me up at 6 in the morning on a Saturday. I think I’ve earned a cuss word or two.” Otabek just shook his head and sighed, silently yelling at himself for not looking at the time before making his way over. At the very least, he could have called or texted. Sofia watched him for a moment before yawning.

“So are you gonna tell me why you’re here or are you going to make me guess?” She asked him and Otabek took notice to how grown up she seemed. While she was 4 years younger than him, he had always thought she was more mature than those her age. Maybe she was finally realizing it herself. He sighed heavily before he started playing something on his phone, and faced it towards her for her to see. He showed her a routine he wanted to learn. He didn’t even have to ask as she read his mind and understood what he meant from showing it to her.

“Who do you want to learn this for?” She questioned as she watched the video on his phone instead of look at his reaction to her question. Otabek almost forgot how smart she was too.  
“It’s for that cute blonde boy I met that one time, huh? Yuri, was it?” She asked as she finally looked at him, and his quietness made her grin.  
“Oh my god, I never thought i’d see the day where not only do you want to learn how to dance, but you’re doing it for someone you love. So cute.” She cooed at him as his cheeks got red.  
“Are you going to let me in or what, asshole?” He smiled as she made a fake offended sound, and stepped to the side to let him into their parent’s home.  
By the time his parents were even awake to greet him though, he had been in the backyard with his sister for hours as she tried to teach him the fundamentals of what she knew.

“Beka i’m not saying you suck or anything but like...We’re gonna have to work at the elementary stuff for a while until I can even try to begin and teach you this routine you want to do.” Sofia sighed as she pulled out her hair tie and redid her ponytail. Otabek sighed as well as he pulled up his shirt to wipe sweat off his forehead.  
“Sofia if you don’t want to show me it’s fine…” He began as she wagged her index finger at him.  
“I didn’t say that, i’m saying it’s going to be hard. And my time isn’t free.” She told him, and he knew she was joking from her tone, but played along with her anyways.  
“Name your price then.” Otabek told her as he just opted to pull his shirt off to use as a sweat towel, as it was starting to become one anyways. He patted down his face with it and then his neck.  
“I want to be the best woman at your wedding. I think after doing this I’ll have earned my spot there.” Otabek was in the middle of taking a sip of water as she said this, and he started choking. He sputtered water, trying to clear his throat as she just laughed hysterically.  
“God I should have been recording that, your face was priceless!” She still laughed as Otabek was wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He mischievously grinned as he noticed the water bottle still in his hand.  
“B-Beka, what are you doing?! No, stop!” Sofia started running around the yard as he began to chase her with a raised open water bottle, poised to strike.

~~~

Yuri was sleepily scrolling through his timeline as a new photo with Otabek tagged in it popped up. He grinned at a photo of him with his sister. She had a fake angry face and held a fist up at him as he had his eyes closed in a mid laugh while facing her. ‘ _@sofia-altin: @otabek-altin thinks he’s won because he successfully dumped a bottle of water on my head. What he doesn’t know is that was only a mere battle, and the war has only just begun #putagoddamnshirton_ ’. Yuri bit his lip as he wished to see more of Otabek’s shirtless body, the picture cutting off right before his nipples. He blushed at the thought, before liking the photo and then pulling up his messaging app to send him a text.

**_Y: Are you trying to destroy the internet by letting your sister post that picture of you half naked? ;P_ **

The response he got back was unexpected, and it took Yuri’s breath away.

**_O: No, only you ;P_ **

Yuri opened up the image attached and his mouth fell open slightly. Had he heard his wish of wanting to see his body? Otabek had sent him a shirtless picture where he had his tongue sticking out, and one eye winking, with a slight grin on his face. Yuri couldn’t tell if he was dreaming or not, and slapped his own cheek a few times to check. He had no idea why Otabek decided to grace him with such a photo, it wasn’t even his birthday. Silently thanking him he zoomed in on the photo, scrolling around exploring all the details he could. He wasn’t sure if it was water or sweat on his body that made him glisten, or if he just did that naturally.

He hardly noticed that he was absent-mindedly palming himself through his boxer briefs. His breath hitched as he pushed his hand inside of them, and started to stroke himself. He had only done this a few times before, with Otabek on his mind. But never did he have such beautiful material like he was staring at to help his imagination. He shut his eyes and leaned his head back against his pillow. He slid his boxer briefs off so they rested at his knees and continued to touch himself. He imagined Otabek’s willing mouth on him, leaving sloppy kisses, sucking and biting his body. Yuri’s mouth opened at the thought of Otabek placing his hands on his cock, and wanting to. He yearned to melt into his touch. Yuri felt heat start to build at the base of his stomach. To send himself into nirvana, he pictured Otabek’s forehead pressed against his, telling him to come. So he did. The involuntary moan that escaped his lips echoed. He laid motionless for a moment, taking deep breaths through his nose to steady his breathing. When he opened his eyes, his phone still had Otabek’s picture up. He took a moment to save it. Yuri’s face was hot as he tried to reply with his clean hand.

**_Y: Haha, you’re a funny one Beka <3._ **

He slowly got up and hurried to the bathroom to clean himself off with a shower. He hoped the hot water also cleansed his dirty mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I have a lot of ending notes for this one, so please bare with me..._
> 
>  
> 
> First off, it wasn't my intention to end the first two chapters this way (*cough*masturbation*cough*)...But here we are. Whoops.
> 
> The video reference to what Lucas teaches them in class is a video from the actual studio in St. Petersburg named Dance Studio 25.5. I imagine Lucas looks much like what the teacher in that video does, just different hair (longer, wavy).
> 
> I included two videos for Asya's first routine because I think the second one showcases the facial expressions better than the first. But the first one is a more solid video / routine viewing (plus it's the original video that led to them being on Ellen to begin with). Asya is definitely based off of Taylor Hatala if she was older and...Italian.
> 
> I don't know if it's truly possible to give someone a piggyback ride with ice skates on? But here I am hoping.
> 
> The idea of Otabek having a younger sister, I credit to [tecochet](https://tecochet.tumblr.com/) from tumblr! [Here](https://tecochet.tumblr.com/post/155632141233/because-i-really-really-like-the-idea-that-beka) is the first piece of art I saw regarding it, and just needed it to be true. Her art and blog itself is absolutely lovely so please follow her!
> 
> Lastly I have no idea how to write in a different language for written dialogue? So here is also what was said in Japanese & Russian in it's written form (Thanks to google translate):  
> 彼はあなたにオタベクを少し思い出させませんか? ~ 'Doesn't he remind you of Otabek a little?'  
> もう一度ミスをしないでください... ~ 'Just don't make the mistake again…'  
> Вы собираетесь начать огонь с этим... ~ 'You’re going to start a fire with this…'
> 
> Also I just wanted to cite [this lovely YouTube video](https://youtu.be/OFMlMaWEiZ4) for reference as I used it when Yuri was teaching Asya *how to ice skate* (As I, myself, do not know how).
> 
> Please validate my existence by leaving comments and kudos <3\. **Constructive criticism** is always appreciated.
> 
>  
> 
> [Catch Me On Tumblr](http://lgfuadjj.tumblr.com/)
> 
>  
> 
> P.S: I'm STILL planning to post a chapter every Friday! If not biweekly on a Friday. We'll see how editing and revising goes...
> 
> xo


	3. Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the comments recently :). I'm glad people are so far enjoying what they are reading! If you want to talk outside of comments with me (literally about anything) feel free to message me over on [my Tumblr!](http://lgfuadjj.tumblr.com/) Either through my ask box or just the general IMing system they have ^_^.  
> Enjoy!
> 
> xo

It was the first Wednesday of June, which for Yuri meant griping about having to show up for a team dinner at Victor and Yuuri’s condo. Even though the ‘team’ only consisted of the three of them. Victor often referred to it as a family meal, but Yuri insisted on still calling it a team dinner, for his own sanity. They had this monthly running tradition ever since Yuuri had moved to Russia, per Victor’s request to make him feel more ‘at home’. Yuri couldn’t help but feel like he had to oblige. Plus Otabek told him he should, for Victor’s sake more than Yuuri’s.  
Yuri was starting to rethink his reasoning behind attending these dinners, as he adjusted his bowtie. Victor liked to put dress codes on every invitation, and tonight’s theme was, ‘Cocktail Attire’. If Yuri knew any better, he would have thought these themes were based on what would make him the most miserable for the evening. He was starting to get frustrated as he thought his bowtie looked crooked. Otabek had thankfully helped him pick out [his outfit](http://blog.weddingstar.com/wp-content/uploads/WS-Art-Deco-_014.jpg) otherwise he’d still be scavenging his closet. Otabek watched through Skype as Yuri clipped on his suspenders at the front of his dress pants, and slid each strap over a shoulder. He went back to adjusting his bowtie again before Otabek said anything.

“You’re gonna be late if you keep fiddling with that.” He smiled as Yuri shot him a scowl and continued to mess with it.  
“Yura…” Otabek said quietly, as Yuri sighed and looked at him through the screen with a slight annoyed look. Otabek thought it was cute more than anything.  
“You look great. Go to dinner.” He told him as Yuri growled, before picking up where he had set his laptop on the bathroom sink and made his way back to his bedroom.  
“Don’t growl at me Yuratchka.” Otabek said playfully as Yuri set the laptop down on his bed and started pulling on his shoes.  
“Or what?” Yuri countered as he watched for a reaction on the screen  
‘ _I’ll fly there and kiss you to make you shut up_ ’ Otabek thought to himself as Yuri waited for his reply.  
“I’ll end this skype call right now…” Otabek smiled as Yuri almost jumped at him through the screen. They were so close to finally hitting 171 hours and he wasn’t going to let him ruin that.  
“Fine, i’ll go. But just know, that I am hurt you would even suggest that.” Yuri feigned hurt by throwing his head back and putting the back of his hand on his forehead dramatically. This made Otabek laugh heartily.  
“Text me.” He told Yuri as he watched him pull on a black jean jacket, one that he had gifted him for his birthday.  
“Obviously.” Yuri smiled back, and waved goodbye before turning out his bedroom light.

~~~

Yuri sighed to himself as he held a fresh loaf of bread under his arm and buzzed the doorbell to the Nikiforov / Katsuki residence. His brow began to crease as he thought he heard yelling coming from inside...In Italian. Yuuri opened the door with a slight, ‘Please save me’ look on his face, as Yuri’s suspicions were confirmed and heard two voices going at it in Italian. He stepped inside looking around where it was coming from and saw both Victor and Asya in the kitchen together. Yuri couldn’t help but smile. He had no idea Asya would be attending.

“Yeah they’ve been arguing for the past 5 minutes. I tried to help but they both yelled at me to get out…” Yuuri shrugged as he took Yuri’s jacket for him and hung it up next to the door. Yuri placed the loaf of bread on the table before making his way to the kitchen to see what the fuss was about.

“ _Perché mi si invita sopra per la notte italiana, se non sarà nemmeno prendere il mio consiglio?_ (Why did you invite me over for Italian night if you won't even take my advice?)” Asya was shaking her head standing behind Victor as he was tending to something on the stove.  
“ _Non ti ho invito per il vostro consiglio, ho invitato perché sei un rotolo carino cannella e volevamo la tua azienda!_ (I didn't invite you for your advice, I invited you because you're a cute cinnamon roll and we wanted your company!)” Victor responded in the same tone, turning around for a moment to respond to her. Asya put her head in her hands but laughed with a bright smile at his response. Yuri soon noticed the already almost empty bottle of wine, next to two glasses, as Asya reached for hers. As she was taking a sip, she noticed Yuri standing there watching her. Her face grew into an excited smile as she placed the glass back down in a haste.

“Yuri, oh my goodness you look so cute!” Asya said with a grin on her face and threw her arms around him. He could almost taste the wine on her breath and wondered how much she had to drink already. When she pulled away from the embrace, she placed a kiss on each of his cheeks before fully letting him go. He noted she probably had more than enough to be okay with doing that so easily.  
Yuri finally noticed [her attire](http://g01.a.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1F3ZfHFXXXXb8apXXq6xXFXXX9/ANN-DEER-Real-Photos-A-Line-O-Neck-Evening-Dress-Robe-De-Soiree-Courte-Evening-Party.jpg), paired with a side braid that ran down her right shoulder. He silently decided he wanted his hair that long one day so he could do the same. As he thought about it, he was suddenly attacked by Victor in a hug.

“She’s right Yura, you look so adorable oh my gosh.” Victor giggled as Yuri narrowed his eyes. He almost forgot how he acted when he was drinking.  
“Look Yura, Yuuri and I match, aren’t we cute?” He gushed as he hastily took his apron off and stood next to Yuuri. [Victor’s outfit](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/05/e8/90/05e8900fba64932feaa39d8980b7f905.jpg) was gray, while [Yuuri’s outfit](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/15/cf/0c/15cf0c46efc80253799c418de26d77a2.jpg) was blue. Both essentially the same style, just different colors, and Yuri couldn’t help but roll his eyes with a small smile on his face. Indeed it was cute, but there was no need for Yuri to agree to that.

“Here, go sit down and relax. Dinner will be ready soon. And take Asya with you.” Victor almost pleaded, as he handed Yuri his glass of wine.  
“I would be offended, but he did call me cute so I can’t complain.” Asya shrugged with a smile on her face as she took her own wine glass and they walked towards the table together. Yuri placed the glass Victor handed him on the table before pulling out a chair for Asya. She happily sat down, and Yuri was about to follow suit in his own chair when the doorbell rang. He glanced towards the kitchen, and noticed Victor had Yuuri pinned against a counter, their foreheads touching. Yuri shut his eyes and hoped the scene would find the, ‘Do not remember’ section in his brain and made his way to the front door. When he opened the door his breathing almost came to a complete stop.

Lucas was standing there with his hair damp but slicked back behind his ears. Yuri realized he actually hadn’t seen it down before now. He took notice to the fact that it seemed to be naturally wavy. His [outfit](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/7f/66/16/7f66162256c8408fb36dff89c68ec428.jpg) was fairly more casual than everyone else’s but fit him well. Yuri couldn’t help but gawk at how good he looked. For once not comparing him to Otabek, or anyone for that matter. He hadn’t put much thought into how attractive he was. But this outfit had him wondering how he hadn’t noticed. Lucas gave a shy smile, patiently waiting for Yuri to say anything or at the very least, let him in. It wasn’t until he cleared his throat that Yuri came to his senses and blushed. How long had they been there staring at each other? Lucas laughed lightly, pink also making its way onto his cheeks.

“Sorry I’m late, I wanted to stop and get this.” Lucas held up a bottle of wine as Yuri couldn’t answer him. He was still trying to compose himself.  
“You’re right on time Lucas!” Victor startled Yuri as he came up behind him. Yuri shuffled out of the way as Lucas finally made his way inside. Victor took his jacket and hung it up next to Yuri’s.  
“And you have also become my favorite child.” Victor told him as he took the bottle from him and read the label. Lucas just laughed nervously, not quite understanding his meaning. But Yuri knew exactly what he meant and rolled his eyes.  
“We’re not your children.” Yuri growled lowly as he made his way back to the table, where Yuuri was setting food out.  
“Aw Yura just let me dream okay?” Victor cooed as he went into the kitchen to uncork the new bottle of wine.

They sat at a round table together, Yuri in between both Asya and Lucas. Pasta, salad, bread, and wine was passed around between everyone. Now, Yuri wasn’t much of a drinker but had decided he needed to drink his thoughts of Lucas down. He still couldn’t really look him in the eye without being nervous for whatever reason. But that feeling eased the more alcohol he consumed.  
During dinner Victor insisted on learning the life stories of the exchange students. Yuri already knew the reason why Lucas was in St. Petersburg, and slightly what he planned for his future. But he finally learned more about Asya. That she had been adopted into a fairly wealthy family, her mother a wedding dress designer and her father a very successful chef. Really she didn’t know what she wanted to do with her life, but found that dancing was the only thing that called to her heart more than anything. She wasn’t sure how she was going to apply it career wise but concluded she didn’t care, as long as it involved her passion. The thought made Yuri happy. He was oddly proud of her for being able to do something with uncertainty, but wanting to do it because she loved it. He could relate to that feeling. Dishes and empty bottles of wine were soon cleared away, and dessert was on the table.

“It’s like a doughnut, it’s really good!” Asya explained to everyone as she popped one of her own homemade zeppoles in her mouth. Everyone followed suit and happily agreed. Their conversation started to drift to almost ridiculous as they all sat around and talked about whatever came to mind.  
“Here, let me take you home Asya.” Lucas started saying as he took the sign of Victor and her speaking in Italian and ignoring everyone else as it was time to call it a night.  
“Nooo, please don’t take my Italian angel away.” Victor begged as Yuuri had to calm him down.  
“You’ll see her again soon.” Yuuri told him as Victor turned his attention to his husband.  
“My Yuuri, I hope you’re not offended. She’s so lovely, but not more than you I promise.” He grinned and tapped Yuuri on his nose. Yuuri just smiled in response.  
“Okay yeah it’s time to go.” Yuri agreed with Lucas as the couple started speaking in Japanese. They helped Asya get her jacket on, and put their own on. Asya and Victor hugged drunkenly and said their goodbyes in Italian. Yuuri politely said goodnight to everyone as he tried to fight Victor off of him until their guests left.

Both Lucas and Yuri had a grip on each of Asya’s hands. They silently walked towards her apartment, Asya giggling at nothing every now and then. When they got to her apartment, they had to fight to get her keys from her. She kept on thinking it was a game of keep away, giggling like a child as they struggled to grab them from her. Once Yuri had the keys in his hand and unlocked her apartment, Lucas opted to just throw Asya over his shoulder the rest of the way to her bed.

“Oh my god Lucas I didn’t know you were this strong. Yuri are you seeing this? Look.” Asya was drunkenly babbling as she grabbed at Lucas’s left arm, closest to Yuri, trying to grip his bicep through his jacket. Yuri laughed as Lucas just sighed and put her in her bed. She tried to put up a fight for a few minutes, but almost once her head hit the pillow she was asleep. They quietly made their way out of her apartment, locking it behind them. Once they reached the street again both Yuri and Lucas paused, unsure of what to do. Yuri still felt pretty warm from the alcohol he consumed.

“Do you want to walk me home?” Lucas asked him suddenly and Yuri felt himself nodding. They still walked in silence, Yuri following Lucas.  
“You look really good in that outfit, Yura.” Lucas told him quietly, as he navigated them to his apartment. Yuri wasn’t sure what made him blush more, the compliment or the soft usage of his name.  
“It is okay if I call you that, right?” Lucas asked hesitantly. Yuri nodded in response. He struggled to find the courage to say anything back, as he hadn’t talked to him directly all night.  
“Hey…” Lucas said softly, grabbing Yuri’s hand and stopping them in the middle of the sidewalk. Lucas hastily let it go when Yuri turned around and faced him, as if he hadn’t meant to do it in the first place.  
“I’m sorry if that made you uncomfortable. I’m bad at this kind of stuff.” Lucas blushed, his hand nervously slicking his own hair back. Yuri was going to ask what he meant, but Lucas kept speaking.  
“Next weekend, some friends are throwing me a birthday party...And I’d like you to be there.” Lucas stated, biting his lip and looking anywhere but his face.  
“Yeah, of course I’ll go.” Yuri told him. Lucas tried to hide his grin by bringing his hand to his mouth and clearing his throat.  
“It’s going to be at a place called Metro Club. My friends want to see me dance in public or something, I guess.” Lucas shrugged, kicking at a pebble on the ground. Yuri couldn’t help but laugh.  
“Don’t you dance enough?” He asked as Lucas laughed back.  
“Yeah that’s what I thought too. But I am a people pleaser, so whatever they want to do then i’m fine with.” Lucas shrugged as he started to continue to walk to his apartment, and Yuri followed next to him.  
“But it’s your birthday, aren’t you meant to be the one who decides what you do? I mean that’s like...The only day you’re allowed to do what you want, and everyone else is supposed to follow along.” Yuri kind of chuckled.  
“Mm, yeah I guess you’re right. Back home, I usually go to a water park.” Lucas thought allowed.  
“Why don’t we go to Piterlend during the day then?” Yuri asked as Lucas just raised an eyebrow, not quite understanding what he was talking about.  
“It’s a pretty nice indoor water park we have here.” Yuri explained as Lucas slowly nodded in thought.  
“That sounds fun.” He smiled as Yuri smiled back. They continued to walk in silence the rest of the way to Lucas’s apartment.  
“So I guess i’ll see you at my class tomorrow night, then?” Lucas asked as Yuri nodded.  
“Ah and I just wanted to say...You look really good in your outfit too, Lucas.” Yuri heard himself say, unsure of where his courage came from. But he was glad he said it as he watched Lucas’s face go red.  
“T-Thanks Yura. Goodnight.” He stuttered out sheepishly before making his way up a set of stairs in his apartment complex.

Yuri smiled at his reaction, and slowly made his way home. Once he got in his room, he changed hastily and got into bed, the alcohol making him more tired than usual. He noticed Otabek was asleep on the other end of the skype call that was still going and grinned. But also felt a slight ache in his heart. While he had a good night with friends, he couldn’t help but want Otabek, his best friend, there to share it with. He wondered what he would think of his new friends. He fell asleep thinking about it, curious if Lucas and him would get along.

~~~

“Yuri, have you ever thought about choreographing something?” Asya brought Yuri out of his thoughts Friday afternoon with a simple question. He had seen another picture on his timeline of Otabek with his sister. Sofia was sitting with her legs criss cross on his back, both hands up with peace signs, as he seemed to be holding her up while doing push-ups. ‘ _@sofia-altin: I bet @otabek-altin is regretting starting this war with his new teacher ;) #tranquil’_. Yuri wondered what she meant by the word teacher, but finally registered what Asya had asked of him.  
“Mm...Not exactly.” He shook his head as they both stretched before her class. He was beginning to like it when it was just the two of them on Fridays.  
“Do you want to try?” She asked with a smile. His brows creased in thought.  
“How about we choreograph one together. You can do the first half, and i’ll do the second.” She suggested as Yuri liked this idea better than him having to think of one completely on his own.  
“Then you can pick the music.” Yuri told her as she grinned. She played him a few songs, and he agreed with the last one she played for him. They warmed up by practicing the previous routines she had showed him from her previous classes. Then, she was sitting with her back against the mirrored wall recording him with his own phone.

“This is probably the easiest way to choreograph something in my opinion. I just record myself running through the song a few times and then start to narrow down what I think feels right.” She explained as he stood in the middle of the studio in front of her, by himself. He felt out of place suddenly but Asya’s encouraging smile centered him. She played the song for him and he felt his body move before he put much thought into it.  
Asya insisted he run through the song a few more times, moving differently with each recording, before going through and replaying them for himself. He started watching the recordings with Asya once he felt like he had done enough variations. First they decided that they officially wanted to choreograph around the chorus of the song, based solely on what Yuri thought was his strongest parts. They also decided that the transition from his choreography to Asya’s would lead with a jump half split. As Yuri pieced together from different videos what he liked, he began to realize his own style seemed a bit...Boring. He voiced this opinion to Asya.

“Mm, I don’t think it’s boring at all. I think it’s simple, and very ‘novice’ if you will, but you are a beginner. Once you start dancing on your own more, you’ll find your style being refined and from there you’ll probably feel more comfortable adding different things in.” Asya just shrugged and smiled.  
“The fact that you’re even willing to try says a lot. That’s all that matters when it comes to dancing.” Asya grinned as this made Yuri happy.

They spent 2 hours in the studio, until both were happy with [the routine](https://youtu.be/4pfloxVMJGw) they came up with together. Yuri was slowly becoming confident in his own personal dancing abilities.

“We’ll have to show Lucas this. He’ll be very proud of you.” Asya smiled as she watched the recording of them on her phone. Yuri blushed slightly. He hadn’t thought about showing it to anyone, especially not to Lucas.  
“Speaking of which, do you have any plans tomorrow night?” She asked him as they walked out of the studio together.  
“Not yet.” He smiled, assuming she was about to invite him to something.  
“Well I was wondering if you wanted to come over to watch a movie, and have pizza or something. Lucas already said yes.” Asya told him as she locked the studio up.  
“Yeah that sounds nice.” He agreed and before long they parted ways and he walked home alone. Before he even unlocked his front door, Asya had sent him a text message regarding tomorrow.

**_A: Oh and I forgot to mention, it’s a pajama party movie night! :)_ **

Yuri smiled and texted back an, ‘Okay :)’. Otabek, he noticed through skype, was laying on his back on his bed, scrolling through something on his phone.

“Hi Beka.” Yuri said softly as he set his bag down and sat on his bed, giving his cat a few pets.  
“Hi there, Yura.” Otabek said just as softly as he turned over onto his stomach and directed his attention to his laptop. Yuri smiled as he brought a knee up and rested his chin on it.  
“How was class?” Otabek asked as he leaned on his palm, his elbow digging into his mattress.  
“Asya and I choreographed something together, actually.” Yuri said almost sheepishly. He still wasn’t sure his part was as good as Asya’s.  
“Oh yeah? Can I see?” Otabek asked.  
“Mm fine. Just don’t laugh, okay?” Yuri asked of him as he texted him the video.  
“You know I wouldn’t laugh at you.” Otabek said quietly, before he got the notification for the video and pressed play. Yuri heard the music through his microphone, and imagined running through the sequence again in his head. Soon the video ended and Yuri waited for him to comment on it.  
“You’re learning a lot quickly. I can see you’re getting more confident in your movements. It’s nice.” Otabek told him with a smile as Yuri blushed.  
“Thanks Beka.” He said with a smile back. He knew if he needed any encouragement ever, he could turn to Otabek to hear it.

“So, I was thinking the other day that it’s been too fucking long since we’ve seen each other.” Yuri brought up nonchalantly, twirling a chunk of his hair in between his fingers.  
“Yeah, it has. Maybe i’ll plan a trip soon.” Otabek smiled, already having the idea in the back of his head since deciding he wanted to express his feelings to him.  
“Can it be longer than a few days?” Yuri asked in a small voice. He wanted to spend as much time with him he could.  
“I’ll see what I can do.” Was all Otabek answered, and this made Yuri happy enough. He knew they were both busy, but he couldn’t help but want to be selfish. Whenever Otabek was around, he felt damn near complete. Yuri silently thought about the fact that he never felt that way with anyone else but him. He was beginning to wonder why that was until Otabek grabbed his attention by playing the video he had sent again. He watched it a couple more times, making Yuri blush with each re-watch.

~~~

The next night Yuri, Lucas and Asya sat around in her living room with a movie playing on her TV. They didn’t pay attention to it much as they rather talked about their upcoming plans for Lucas’s birthday.

“I think if we go out dancing, we might as well show off, right?” Asya smiled as she had her hands in Yuri’s hair, braiding it. She sat on her couch, while he sat on the floor below her with Lucas next to him.  
“I mean I don’t expect you guys to join me in that regard, but that’s what I aim to do.” Lucas shrugged with a smile on his face.  
“I wouldn’t want you to look like a fool on your own.” Asya told him with a sly smirk on her face.  
“Well thanks, I think.” Lucas laughed as he turned his attention to Yuri, who was quiet.  
“What’s your opinion?” He asked him quietly as Yuri put his phone away momentarily to respond.  
“I think if it’s your birthday, I have no choice but to follow the birthday boy’s wishes.” Yuri smiled as Lucas tried to bite back a grin from spreading across his face.  
“Okay, well we still have a week. I’ll teach you guys some stuff I have in mind on Tuesday after class.” Lucas told them as they both nodded in reply. 

Asya still continued to play with Yuri’s hair as he pulled up his Instagram. He started recording a video and she began to make faces at his camera. Yuri laughed as Lucas poked his head into frame with a wide grin on his face, holding still.  
“It’s a video you idiot.” Yuri said playfully as Lucas started laughing as well and rested his head on Yuri’s shoulder, hiding his blushing face. Yuri blushed slightly at his action before returning his attention to the video he was still recording. They ended the video by all showing a peace sign, and Yuri sticking his tongue out. ‘ _@yuri-plisetsky: These idiots <3 @asyalesposito @lucasmdances_’. Asya and Lucas both watched the videos on their own phones and smiled at the caption.

Soon they actually began to watch the movie, and Asya fell asleep on the couch behind them. Lucas and Yuri were wide awake though, both sitting close to each other sharing a blanket.

“So what do you plan to do in your future, Yura?” Lucas asked in a near whisper. Yuri assumed it was because he didn’t want to wake Asya up and talked in the same hushed tone.  
“You mean after ice skating?” He clarified. Lucas nodded in response. Yuri bit his lip in thought. He hadn’t thought about it much, more so because he didn’t want to think about his career ever ending.  
“I don’t know. It’s hard to imagine not competing.” He told him honestly, his brows furrowing.  
“Mm, yeah.” Lucas nodded in agreement contemplating what to say next.  
“Well if you’re ever in America one day, and I somehow manage to run my own studio, maybe you could teach some guest classes.” Lucas told him as Yuri quirked an eyebrow.  
“Asya showed me what you guys put together. I thought it was pretty good.” Lucas smiled as Yuri’s face got hot. He had forgotten Asya mentioned wanting to show the routine to him. Yuri suddenly felt Lucas’s hand intertwine with his under the blanket.  
“Hey, your style will only get better from here.” Lucas encouraged softly, giving Yuri a gentle squeeze. Yuri felt himself squeezing his hand back.  
“Thanks.” He managed to say, as their hands stayed where they were under the blanket.  
“When do you leave to go back to America?” Yuri asked him, trying to get over the fact that they continued to nonchalantly hold hands.  
“I’ll be leaving towards the end of July. I need to get back home and acclimated again before my senior year starts.” Lucas told him as Yuri nodded. He couldn’t help but feel a little sad at the idea of his friends not staying around for much longer.

“While i’m here though, maybe we should make the best of it.” He heard Lucas tell him before his face was in front of his. Yuri’s eyes went wide as Lucas’s hand grabbed his chin softly. His hand grazed Yuri’s left cheek, and Yuri swallowed non-existent saliva as his mouth went dry. Yuri watched as Lucas moved his lips closer to his before saying anything.  
“Maybe this isn't the best time.” Yuri managed to say before their lips met. He meant it more for Asya’s sake just in case she woke up, but also realized it was mostly for his own.  
“I suppose you're right.” Lucas reluctantly breathed as he ran a hand through his hair nervously, glancing at Asya sleeping behind them. But before he moved back to his spot next to Yuri, his lips grazed his cheek. Yuri didn’t say anything as Lucas situated himself back down next to him. His hand found Yuri’s again after fixing the blanket back on them. 

Eventually Lucas slid down, and rested his head on Yuri’s shoulder slowly nodding off. But Yuri couldn’t imagine being tired after their near kiss. His whole body felt hot and his mind was racing. He couldn't stop replaying the moment in his head. He wondered how it would have felt if he let Lucas kiss him. But his mind also wandered to how it might feel if Otabek was the one here instead. Would he have allowed it if it was him? He shook his head slightly at the thought. He didn’t feel right thinking about him while holding someone else's hand. Almost guilty, really. Yuri tried to fall asleep himself, laying his head back into the couch, trying not to wake either Asya behind him or Lucas on his shoulder. His heart felt torn as he tried his best to quiet his loud mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize now that I never mention Makkachin but I promise he does exist! Haha :) I hope you liked the integration of 'showing' an outfit instead of trying to describe it. I usually like doing that better if I play ~dress up~ with the characters.  
> I honestly have no idea how to choreograph a routine? But if I myself was to even start anywhere, it would be recording myself doing variations of things.  
> I'm sorry for a fairly short chapter (compared to last chapter), but next week the chapter will be more hefty. Yay for birthday parties and clubbing!  
> Let me know what you think of Lucas so far! ;)
> 
>  
> 
> Please validate my existence by leaving comments and kudos <3\. **Constructive criticism** is always appreciated.
> 
> [Catch Me On Tumblr](http://lgfuadjj.tumblr.com/)
> 
> xo


	4. Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to say that I am sorry for this chapter. At least a part of it...Prepare yourself for a character crying.
> 
> xo

The next week almost flew by. Yuri nearly wondered if something even happened between him and Lucas or if it was some vivid dream he had made up. Lucas acted completely normal and made it seem like it didn't plague him for the entire week like it had Yuri. In return this made Yuri more confused, even frustrated at the fact that he didn’t understand what the event that transpired between them had meant. He also felt like he couldn’t explain what happened and how he felt about it with either Asya, or even Otabek which made him fight with himself internally, alone. Otabek knew something was on his mind every time they had managed to talk but never pushed him to open up about it. Maybe it was better for the both of them that he wasn’t forceful about it.

The three friends had successfully memorized a couple routines together that Lucas had in mind to showcase at his birthday party without a hitch. Lucas hadn’t initiated anything between Yuri and himself again until Saturday morning while they waited in line to get into Piterlend. Lucas held Yuri’s hand as they stood next to each other, as if it belonged there, while both of them paid attention to their phones. Yuri didn’t mind it as much as he had the first time he did it intentionally the week before. But it did make him wonder why he had waited all week to do so. It didn't even seem to phase Asya as she stood next to them taking a picture of herself in her swimsuit.  
Asya greeting someone excitedly brought Yuri out of his mind and realized Victor and Yuuri were walking up to them. He didn’t even know they were going to meet them. He felt almost relieved, seeing their familiar smiling faces join them. Asya hugged both of them excitedly before Victor turned his attention to Lucas and Yuri’s joined hands. He silently gave Yuri a, ‘We’re talking about this later’, look before offering them a warm smile and greeting them.

“Thanks for inviting us, Lucas.” Yuuri said as the line to get into the water park started moving.  
“Of course. You guys are my friends too.” Lucas smiled at them as everyone began handing over their tickets to get in. The group found a table and lounging chairs to claim before they even thought about getting into any water. Lucas excused himself as he went to the bathroom. Victor took the time to begin to question Yuri.

“ _Tak chto s rukoy?_ (So what's with the hand holding?)” Victor decided to ask him in Russian, wanting their conversation to be private. Yuri’s face went slightly pink as he was folding his shirt he had taken off. He shrugged in response.  
“ _Vy ne prosto derzhite ruku parnya, prosto vyzyvayut…_ (You don't just hold a guy's hand just cause…)” Victor said with a slight edge in his tone. Yuri’s eyes narrowed at him. Why did he suddenly care?  
“How about it’s none of your business.” Yuri spat at him, slightly raising his voice. Both Asya and Yuuri stopped their own conversation at this. Victor’s jaw clenched as he was readying his response but Lucas returned before he could. Yuuri put his hand on Victor’s shoulder, making him soften at the touch. Lucas grabbed a towel out of his bag and threw it over one of the chairs.

“Everything okay?” Lucas asked as he finally realized the air was a bit tense.  
“Peachy.” Yuri answered before grabbing his hand and leading them away.  
“Coming, Asya?” Yuri asked without turning around.  
“I’ll join up with you guys later.” She called to him as they continued walking away. She wasn’t sure what had happened, but decided she wanted to give the boys their space.  
Lucas followed Yuri silently for a few minutes letting him lead them away. He stopped when they were nearly on the other side of the building, realizing Yuri had no real destination. Yuri almost kept walking but Lucas pulled him back into the moment. Yuri barely noticed the anger that sat in his chest until he was looking back at Lucas’s worried face. He softened a bit upon noticing his expression.

“Are you okay?” Lucas asked him quietly bringing the hand that wasn’t laced with Yuri’s up to his face. Yuri closed his eyes at the light touch and sighed heavily.  
“Yeah, I’m okay. Let’s go on a slide, okay?” He smiled a bit, trying to stuff his sudden anger down for a later time. He should have expected the question from Victor, but was very unprepared to give an answer. Mostly because he truly didn’t understand what was happening. And Victor knew damn well he wouldn’t, either.

Asya met up with them a couple hours later, and they floated the lazy lagoon together. She didn’t bring up what had happened earlier, seemingly forgetting about it as they all relaxed into their own inner tubes. Yuri still had his hand attached to Lucas’s as they made their way around the lagoon a few times. Soon they agreed to get out and find the married couple to have lunch together. When they arrived back at the table they had first claimed, Yuri met eyes with Victor. Both had calmed down considerably, but their gazes both held questions still.

“Time for lunch?” Yuuri asked happily as everyone agreed before grabbing their stuff and headed to one of the restaurants. They all sat around quietly, each ordering something from the menu. There was a touch of awkwardness in the air, as it seemed no one had anything to say to each other. Yuri still held onto Lucas’s hand, and he wasn’t exactly sure why. Was he doing it out of spite, or because he truly wanted to? As he contemplated his own reasoning Victor’s voice almost startled him.

“ _Mne zhal' Yura._ (I'm sorry Yura.)” He spoke to him and only him from across the table. Everyone waited for a response from Yuri as he took a moment to himself. Victor didn’t owe him an apology, and Yuri knew that. Mostly because Victor was right: You don’t just hold someone’s hand, particularly if you find them attractive or almost kissed once, just cause. There was something bigger behind their simple hand holding but Yuri didn’t want to put a word to it. Mostly because that would make it too real for him, and he wasn’t sure if he was ready for it to be.  
“ _Eto normal'no, starik._ (It's okay, old man.)” Yuri smiled slyly as Victor huffed but smiled back. As this seemingly broke the ice between all five of them, Asya began talking about the night they had planned at the club, with the married couple. Yuri tried his best to pay attention to the conversation, but his thoughts strayed as his eyes landed on a stuffed bear a child was holding.  
It reminded him of the bear that Otabek had gifted him, one of his personal favorites, and Yuri felt his heart in his throat. His hand let go of Lucas’s suddenly, and his other hand dropped the water cup he was holding. It spilled over his lap and then it clattered against the floor, startling everyone in the restaurant. Yuri felt like time had stopped for a moment, and he tried to get a grip on what was happening to him. He felt like it was difficult to breath and focus on his surroundings. He stood up suddenly, his chair skidding across the floor behind him.

“Are you okay?” He heard Lucas ask as all he could do was nod.  
“Excuse me.” Yuri said quietly as he left his questioning group at the table and hurried to the bathroom.  
Yuri didn’t understand what he was feeling as he locked a stall door behind him, and sat on top of a closed toilet seat, trying to steady his breathing. He wasn’t sure why the thought of Otabek caused him to have this sudden reaction. He also wasn’t sure if he wanted to know. He was almost on the verge of tears, his confusion making him angrier by the second until a voice broke the silence.

“Yurio?” Yuuri asked as he quietly knocked on the only closed stall in the near empty bathroom. Yuri wanted to be mad at the usage of a nickname he didn’t ask for, but felt relieved to hear a familiar voice. Without answering, he unlocked the stall and let Yuuri in. Yuuri accepted the offer and locked the door behind them. It would have been uncomfortable for Yuri if he wasn’t feeling the way he did, but he didn’t mind when Yuuri sat down in front of him on the ground, his back against the stall door. Yuuri just waited patiently for him to speak, not wanting to push him.

“I’m confused.” Yuri heard himself say in a strangled voice, after a few minutes of silence between them.  
“That’s okay.” Yuuri told him in a quiet but firm voice. Yuri wasn’t sure if Yuuri knew what he meant when he said he was confused, but also realized he didn’t care as he kept speaking.  
“It’s okay to be confused. That’s what keeps most people human.” Yuuri gave a small smile as Yuri breathed a shaky laugh. He took a few moments to let that statement sink in.  
“What if I don’t want to be confused?” He asked, not sure why he was asking Yuuri. There was some silence before an answer.  
“Then you should take your feelings into consideration before moving forward.” Yuuri told him, trying to say something vague but also something that could help whatever he was struggling with.  
“My feelings?” Yuri heard himself squeak out as Yuuri nodded.  
“Yeah, your feelings are the most important when deciding something.” He said, as if it was common knowledge between everyone. Yuri sighed to himself as he tried to decipher what he was feeling at the exact moment. He felt anxious and angry, with a hint of shame. He was anxious because he didn’t understand what was going on between him and Lucas. He didn’t need an established label, but a conversation or two about it would be nice to clarify a few things. Then he was angry with himself for not being able to be up front about what he wanted. He had so many unanswered questions and it was his fault for not asking any of them. The shame was something he didn’t quite understand but just lumped it together with the reasons he came up with for the other feelings.

Yuri thought for a few more moments before sighing and swallowing down this emotion. He would have to think about this more at a different time. He was not in the mood to try and figure his entire brain out in that small stall. Yuri breathed in deeply, and let out his breath slowly trying to shake off his sudden mood. He stood up and stretched out a hand to help Yuuri off the ground. Yuri suddenly brought him in for a hug once they were both standing. They embraced for a few seconds until Yuri pulled away.

“That didn’t happen.” He told him as Yuuri just smiled and nodded before unlocking the stall. When they walked out an older man was standing at the sink washing his hands, staring.  
“What the hell are you looking at?” Yuri barked as the man turned his attention back to his hands. Yuri and Yuuri left the bathroom and joined the rest of the group at the table, their food awaiting them. Lucas gave a small smile and Yuri felt like he had to force one back. When he sat down, Lucas reached for his hand but Yuri pulled it away from him.  
“Ah...My hand is starting to hurt a little bit.” Yuri lied horribly as Lucas just nodded, not believing him but not pushing. Yuri couldn’t help but feel bad, but also didn’t want to have another break down or whatever it was that had occurred. He wasn’t sure if he could stop himself from crying if that happened again.

The group didn’t stay much longer at the water park, after finishing lunch. They all had agreed that they all wanted to take some time for themselves before the birthday celebration at the club that night. Yuri happily took the time to lay in bed, ignoring everyone for a few hours. He couldn’t help but stare at Otabek’s empty bed through their skype call and he imagined himself there instead of his own bed. He set his alarm before dozing off. He wasn’t sure what the night was going to entail but he knew he would need his rest for it.

~~~

Yuri met with both Lucas and Asya at her apartment. He had done his best to clear his head so that his mind wouldn’t wander like it had at the waterpark. Lucas seemed a bit too quiet, as if he wasn’t even excited about his birthday. Yuri didn’t say much, as he didn’t know what to say about earlier. Asya did most of the talking for them as they walked to Metro Club.

“We have to take a picture before we go in there, please?” Asya asked the both of them as she began to open her instagram. Yuri and Lucas glanced at each other, their looks both silently screaming they weren’t in the picture taking mood. But they sweetly obliged her request, smiling as best as they could on either side of her. It soon popped up on his feed, ‘ _@asyalesposito: Before we tear up Metro Club @yuri-plisetsky @lucasmdances #dancecrew #birthdayfestivities_ ’. Yuri couldn’t help but give a little genuine smile. They walked into the club after getting ID’d, and made their way to some private tables Lucas’s friends had gotten for all of them. The area was on the second floor, overlooking the dance floor and bar. Yuri watched as Lucas greeted the handful of friends that were waiting for him with hugs. Lucas introduced Yuri to them, and everyone exchanged pleasantries. While Lucas talked to his friends, Yuri took a seat in a corner across the way, with Asya next to him. He peeled off his jacket, as it was already starting to get warm in the club.

“You look like you need a drink.” Asya told him quietly, as she noticed how tense he seemed. Yuri just cocked his head in thought. He hadn’t drank that much in public, even on his 18th birthday, but if there was any time to be open about it, it was now.  
“Yeah that sounds good.” He smiled as she smiled back. She ordered for them from a waitress that had made her way into their small gathering. She came back with two blue cocktails, and Yuri didn’t even bother to ask what it was as they clinked their glasses together and took a long sip. He decided he liked whatever Asya had ordered for them and silently agreed to let her order all of his drinks from now on. He sucked half of his drink down, not even tasting a hint of alcohol, before deciding to send Otabek a text. He hadn’t heard from him all day, mostly due to Yuri wanting to silently not exist for a part of it.

**_Y: Just forewarning you, I’m drinking and I don’t know when i’ll stop. So just ignore anything stupid I say for the rest of the night, okay?_ **

Yuri was only slightly worried that his drunk self would want to text and call Otabek and say things that didn’t need to be said. He didn’t know what that side of him was capable of, so he needed to make sure there was some warning out there. Especially before it was too late to try and take it back. He watched the typing bubble pop up and waited patiently for a response.

**_O: Well I won’t ignore it, but i’ll be sure to take it with a grain of salt. Do you have friends with you that you trust?_ **

Yuri slightly smiled at the question. He didn’t like to make Otabek worry about him, but he did like when he did.

**_Y: Yeah, Asya is here. Victor and Yuuri might show up too, so you know they’ll try and babysit. Don’t worry about me so much._ **

Once he hit send, he wondered why he only mentioned Asya and not Lucas. He did consider Lucas a friend. But he answered the question of friends he _trusted_ and he wasn’t entirely sure he did trust Lucas. How could he when he had absolutely no idea what they were or what he considered them?

**_O: I can’t help that I care about you. Just be careful, okay? <3._ **

Yuri blushed a little, a grin spreading across his face. He was typing a response when he felt eyes on him. He glanced up and noticed Lucas staring at him, curiosity written on his face. Yuri suddenly felt a little vulnerable, and cleared his throat, trying to focus on what he was typing.

**_Y: I care about you too. I will <3._ **

Yuri locked his phone as Lucas made his way over to where him and Asya were sitting. He took a seat next to Yuri, their knees brushing. He leaned over and grabbed the drink Yuri had been sipping from off the table. He raised his eyebrows towards Yuri, asking if he could try it without saying a word. Yuri just nodded and watched Lucas finish the rest of his drink.

“What even is that?” Lucas asked as he set the empty glass back on the table in front of them.  
“It’s good, so what does it matter?” Asya smirked at him as she ordered another round from the waitress. Lucas couldn’t help but nod in agreement. As the next round came to them, the three friends took a moment to clink their glasses together.

“Cheers to a really good night ahead of us.” Asya smiled.  
“To a night that I hope we don’t forget.” Lucas smiled back.  
“To us.” Yuri finished their cheer as they each took a sip from their drink. Soon after, Victor and Yuuri found their way to the private tables and Lucas stood up to greet them.  
“Thank you so much for coming.” He told them as he gave them each a small hug.  
“Yeah, it’s not really our scene but we couldn’t miss out on seeing Yura dance now could we.” Victor smiled as he pinched Yuri’s cheek. Yuri swatted his hand away with a scowl on his face. Victor just laughed and helped Yuuri take his jacket off before his own and hanging them around chairs next to them.  
“Yeah maybe we should go warm up. It’s almost about time to get the show on the road.” Lucas said as he glanced down at his watch. Yuri slowly came to the realization that he had promised to dance with his friends. In public. He opted to finish his 2nd drink hastily before agreeing to head to the dance floor. Lucas’s friends followed behind them as they made their way downstairs. Victor and Yuuri opted to watch from their spot on the 2nd floor. Lucas walked up to the bar and ordered something. Yuri watched as the bartender lined up 3 shots glasses and filled them with clear liquid, presumably vodka. Lucas turned around and handed one each to Asya and Yuri.

“Just a little more liquid courage.” Lucas smiled as he waited to clink glasses together. Yuri let out a heavy sigh as they silently cheered and each threw their heads back. Shots were Yuri’s least favorite thing he decided right then and there. He couldn’t help but make a face as the liquor burned down his throat. He was glad to see Asya and Lucas making similar faces.  
“Okay next time let’s just stick to the good tasting drinks, okay?” Asya asked as she placed her glass on the bar. Lucas just nodded with a grin on his face. Lucas motioned for them to follow him as he made his way to the front of the dance floor. He stood up on a small raised area to say something to the DJ who just nodded and gave him a thumbs up. The music cut down a bit as a voice started to boom overhead.

“Ladies and gentlemen I would like to direct your attention to the dance floor. Tonight we have Lucas joining us for his 21st birthday.” The MC took a moment to let the crowd cheer.  
“Please join me in welcoming him and his friends to the floor for a very special presentation.” There were more cheers as music cut back in. Yuri knew the moment was either fight or flight as eyes were being laid on him and his friends. But Asya’s reassuring arm around his neck brought him back into the moment, and he realized he wanted to do this more than he felt like he needed to. 

They started to bounce together as a remix of [Turn Down For What](https://youtu.be/4yozmW-OWFc) started to play out. Lucas was in front of them bouncing on his own before they each took their spots like they had practiced. Lucas was in front of them by himself, as Yuri and Asya played mostly as his backup. The bass kicked in and their routine started before Yuri even had time to register it. But his body didn’t let him down as the movements he had practiced for hours for the past week came to him easily. Yuri realized immediately what he missed from the practice studio: a mirror wall to watch himself in. Not only could he not watch himself, he couldn’t watch his friends around him. He only hoped he was on time with the movements, only glancing at Lucas every now and then to keep himself in check. Soon the routine ended, and the crowd roared. 

“Give it up for Lucas, and company. Buy that birthday boy a drink!” The MC boomed over the loudspeaker as the rest of the song played out. People were soon on the dance floor again, more than what had been there before the song started. Yuri watched as Lucas was pretty much surrounded by his friends and others that were enthralled with the performance. Asya reached for Yuri’s hand in the crowd and he took it gratefully. She pulled him through to the bar and they gladly took up a couple empty stools and sat down together. Asya ordered them another couple drinks before taking out her phone.

“Look, I had someone record it.” She said in his ear so that he could hear her. They sat and reviewed themselves while sipping on their drinks. Yuri thought he didn’t look as fluid as he thought he did when he watched himself in the mirror, but it still looked good nonetheless. His favorite part about the performance was his facial expressions that were as animated as Asya’s, like he had practiced for some time now.

They stayed at the bar for a while, milking their 3rd drink. Lucas was on and off the dance floor with other friends and people who wanted to dance with him but still acknowledged his friends at the bar every now and then. It didn’t bother either Asya or Yuri though as they contentedly kept to themselves. But soon they made their way back up to where Victor and Yuuri still sat upstairs together, bringing along their 4th drink of the night. They all quietly watched the people down below them.

“Yura I wonder what it would have been like at the banquet if you knew how to dance like you do now.” Victor wondered aloud as Yuri couldn’t help but laugh.  
“I still wouldn’t have won. I’m not a stripper like your husband secretly is.” Yuri smiled as Yuuri got red beside Victor. Asya gave an excited questioning look as she turned her head between all 3 of them until she got an explanation.  
“I’m not a stripper.” Yuuri clarified to her with both hands up, shaking them.  
“That’s not what Christophe said.” Yuri joked as Yuuri continued to try to explain to Asya what they were talking about.

Yuri slightly listened as Victor explained how he and Yuuri met for the umpteenth time. He hadn’t really realized how much the alcohol was affecting him until he tried to type on his phone. He took a few minutes trying to text Otabek, triple checking spelling and punctuation before sending.

**_Y: I wish you were here Beka._ **

He waited patiently for a reply, noticing Asya being enthralled by the love story Victor was divulging her in.

**_O: I wish that too :)_ **

Yuri took a moment to himself as he tried to decide if he wanted to send what he had on his mind next. But his fingers were typing it before he really ran down his list of pros and cons about it.

**_Y: Beka do you know how attractive you are? Like actually?_ **

Yuri watched the typing bubble pop up and pause multiple times for a few minutes. He wondered what his reaction would have been in person. Is he blushing on the other end? Yuri suddenly wished he was home to see it through skype, the closest he could be to him other than getting on a plane.

**_O: I don’t particularly know, no. How much have you had to drink?_ **

Yuri couldn’t help but laugh at the question. Maybe he was on the verge of having too much to drink, but he needed Otabek to know some things before he couldn’t type it out.

**_Y: It doesn’t matter. I think you’re attractive even when I’m completely sober._ **

Once he hit send he giggled to himself like a schoolgirl, and Victor couldn’t help but take notice. As Asya and Yuuri talked, Victor angled his seat so he could peek at Yuri’s texts. 

**_O: Then how about you say that when you’re sober ;)_ **

Yuri huffed in slight frustration. He didn’t think he could ever say it when he was sober. This was the only time his mind had even let him say anything remotely close to what he truly thought. Sure the alcohol was the catalyst to make him say anything in the first place, but it felt good to say it. He wanted to say more, pour his heart out maybe, and he knew a text wouldn’t be able to express it. He promptly finished his drink before excusing himself to go outside. As he walked he was acutely more aware of what the alcohol was starting to do to him. What number drink was he on again? He couldn’t exactly remember the count, but it didn’t matter. He needed to hear his best friend’s voice, even through a phone call.  
Yuri navigated his way through the club and took a deep breath of the brisk night air when he exited outside. He didn’t realize it was already fairly late, which meant it was later in Almaty but that didn’t stop him from dialing Otabek. Yuri passed by a group of people smoking, taking a seat around the corner from the club. He didn’t notice Victor had followed him outside, and stood at the wall around the corner, next to him.

“Yura?” Otabek questioned instead of answering with a hello.  
“Hello to you too Beka.” Yuri said and Otabek could hear the smile he had through the receiver.  
“Sorry, I didn’t expect you to call.” Otabek told him as he sat up on his bed, waking up at the sound of Yuri’s voice.  
“Maybe I should have asked first. I know it’s late there.” Yuri murmured as he started to rethink the phone call in the first place.  
“It’s okay. I like hearing your voice.” Yuri’s face got hot, even in the cold air.  
“I like hearing your voice too. I still wish you were here though.” Otabek grinned and agreed, that he wished he was as well.  
“I’m not lying when I say I think you’re attractive.” Yuri said suddenly. It was quiet on the other line for a few moments. Yuri looked at his phone wondering if the call ended.  
“I wasn’t lying when I said you should tell me that when you’re sober.” Otabek told him quietly.  
“Do you think i’m attractive?” Yuri asked him as he played with his hair nervously. He wanted to hear him say it back.  
“Yura…” Otabek sighed. He didn’t want to do this over the phone. He especially didn’t want to do this while Yuri was under the influence.  
“You can say no if that’s how you feel.” Yuri said softly. It almost sounded like he was on the verge of tears, really. It pained Otabek to not see him to confirm that or not.  
“Of course I think you’re attractive Yura I just...I would rather have this conversation in person.” Otabek confessed. In person they could see each other’s reactions and have a better understanding of the situation.  
“Then visit me.” Yuri whined as he threw his head back.  
“Soon.” Otabek told him. He had already been planning, he just needed to finalize a few more things before taking the time he had in mind off.  
“Beka I don’t know if I can wait to tell you why I called you in the first place…” Yuri took a moment to wait for him to say anything.  
“What if I asked for you to wait?” Otabek didn’t exactly know what he had to say, but he didn’t want to hear it regardless until he could be there.  
“You don’t understand. This can’t wait. Beka, I think...I think I -” Yuri got cut off suddenly as Victor had knocked his phone out of his hands.  
“Otabek? This is Victor.” Victor told him as he had reached the phone that was lying on the ground before Yuri had. Otabek could hear Yuri yelling in the background.  
“Yes?” He responded, half glad to hear Victor’s voice, half frustrated Yuri didn’t finish his sentence.  
“I think you understand why I have to cut this conversation short. Our little Yura might have had a little bit too much to drink. I’ll let you know when I manage to drag him home, okay?” Victor told him as he held a drunk Yuri away from his own phone easily. Otabek sighed, and knew Victor was right.  
“Sure, thanks. Have a good night.” Otabek told him before hanging up. He felt his heart beating fast. As much as he wanted to hear whatever Yuri wanted to say, he knew it would slowly break him down if he didn’t recall even saying it. Or even worse if it turned out to not be true while he was sober. He would have to be patient, much like he had the past year as he realized his own feelings.

“What the fuck asshole, I was having a conversation!” Yuri realized he was slurring as he yelled at Victor. Was he slurring when he was talking to Otabek? He couldn’t recall.  
“That wasn’t a conversation Yuri, that was a one sided drunk confession and you don’t get to do that to him.” Victor told him, doing little to hide the anger in his voice.  
“You don’t know anything.” Was all Yuri could say as he reached for his phone in Victor’s hand.  
“I know more than you think I do. Also, you don’t get this back until tomorrow, when you’ll thank me for doing this.” Victor stated as he put Yuri’s phone in his inside jacket pocket.  
“What the fuck ever.” Yuri sighed as walked away, trying to process what had just occurred. His mind was running slowly. Was he really about to tell Otabek something regarding his feelings over the phone? The anxiety he had at the restaurant at the waterpark silently started to creep up on him. He opted to drown it out with more alcohol as he headed back inside. Another drink was waiting for him when he returned to the private tables upstairs. As he was halfway through this drink, trying to ignore the fact that he was without a phone now, Lucas made his way back to the reserved tables.

“Will you guys come dance with me please?” Lucas asked as he sat down next to Yuri for a moment. He took a sip of his drink as he was holding it.  
“Like dance without a routine?” Yuri questioned as he watched him drink his drink.  
“Yeah, obviously.” Lucas said as if it was the simplest thing. Yuri realized he hadn’t danced without a routine in mind much before, other than the free dancing he did to warm up with Asya. But even then he pictured routines.  
“Yura, when are you going to realize that dancing isn’t about what you know up here…” Lucas started with a smile as he slowly poked Yuri’s temple.  
“It’s about what’s in here.” Lucas finished as he placed a hand on Yuri’s chest, close to his heart. Yuri found himself smiling as he and Asya got up to leave with Lucas without another question. He barely noticed that Lucas was holding his hand and leading him to the dance floor.

Victor and Yuuri watched from the 2nd floor as Yuri and Lucas danced together to [Cake By The Ocean by DNCE](https://youtu.be/PAzH-YAlFYc). Victor folded his arms over the 2nd floor railing, resting chin on them and letting out a long sigh, but not without Yuuri noticing.

“What happened outside?” Yuuri asked him while rubbing a hand over his back.  
“Yuri drunk calling Otabek is what happened.” Victor told him, a slight irritation in his voice at the event.  
“Oh. And?” Yuuri asked for more details, resting his face on Victor’s elbow, watching him.  
“Sometimes I don’t think that boy realizes his own feelings.” Victor told him as he watched Lucas grind on Yuri. He couldn’t tell if Yuri was into it or not.  
“Remember I told you he said he was confused?” Yuuri reminded him about the conversation they had earlier.  
“Obviously. One moment he’s trying to tell Otabek about his feelings, the next he’s in here letting Lucas grind on him.” Victor scoffed as he rubbed his temple. The pulsing music was starting to get to him.  
“Whatever this is, versus whatever he feels for Otabek he needs to figure out on his own.” Yuuri told Victor. This had been a contention point between them, mostly because everyone knew Otabek and Yuri were crazy for each other yet were still only officially ‘best friends’. Victor wanted to explain that feeling to him, while Yuuri very much wanted Yuri to understand that feeling for himself. Victor nodded in agreement. He knew it wasn’t right to tell someone their life. He wanted Yuri to discover that out on his own. Even if he had to watch him make a mistake or two in the process. [24K Magic by Bruno Mars](https://youtu.be/UqyT8IEBkvY) started playing overhead.

“Finally!” Lucas exclaimed as he grabbed Yuri’s hand and Asya excitedly followed them towards the front of the dance floor again. Yuri almost forgot that this was one of the songs he showed them a [routine](https://youtu.be/bmVyRL9WOA0) to.  
They drunkenly huddled up, one hand in together like teams do during sports. People around them gave them some room as they realized who they were from earlier. They laughed as they broke apart, cheering for something and each dancing into position as the 2nd verse started. Yuri felt more at ease, and he was positive the alcohol was the reason why but didn’t care. As they danced together he truly felt like he was meant to be there doing it. The routine didn’t even last a minute but he had maybe a little too much fun and felt almost annoyed when it was over. The crowd cheered for them again as everyone joined them into dancing the rest of the song out. As the song ended, Lucas grabbed onto Yuri’s shirt for support as he talked into his ear.

“I need another drink. Come with?” Yuri just nodded as he followed Lucas back upstairs, their hands joined together. They left Asya dancing with a group of people. When they made it back to the private tables, Victor and Yuuri weren’t there. Yuri and Lucas found themselves alone, yet almost sitting on each other as they drunkenly took a seat. Lucas found a drink, unsure if it was even his but drank it anyways. They sat together quietly for a few moments, just holding hands.

“So Yura, what did you get me for my birthday?” Lucas giggled to himself as Yuri tried to concentrate. The room was starting to spin slightly.  
“I thought my presence would be enough.” Yuri shrugged as Lucas laughed out loud.  
“Well since it’s my birthday can I request something from you ?” Lucas asked as he leaned on Yuri, his chin resting on his shoulder.  
“Of course.” Yuri smiled, not really thinking about how close their faces were to each other. Their noses brushed against each other as Lucas leaned in to speak into his ear.  
“I want to do a body shot off you.” Lucas told Yuri as he wondered what that entailed. Lucas vaguely explained but decided to just show him by action instead as he pulled him by the hand and they marched straight back down to the bar. They surprisingly found some open seats in the middle of the bar, a couple leaving as they approached.

“Yuri lay on the bar.” Lucas told him as Yuri just shrugged and took up what space he could on the bar. People voluntarily got out of the way as Lucas explained to the bartender what they obviously wanted to do. She nodded as she waited for Yuri to lift up his shirt.  
“Shirt.” Lucas told him as he didn’t understand. Lucas took it into his own hands to lift his shirt up himself. Yuri was only a little surprised as his shirt rested above his nipples.  
“Body shots!” Someone drunkenly announced to the crowd as there were cheers and eyes gravitated towards the bar. 

The bartender poured tequila on Yuri’s navel. He tried his best not to move as Lucas poured a little bit of salt in the middle of his chest. Next Lucas held a lime to Yuri’s mouth, and Yuri just held it in his teeth trying to bite only the rind. He tried to put all 3 together in how it worked but before he knew it, it was happening.  
Lucas licked the salt off Yuri’s chest slowly. Then he moved onto drinking the shot out of his navel. Lastly Lucas bit the lime out of his mouth, their lips touching briefly. Yuri watched as Lucas grinned and spit the lime on the ground. Then suddenly, their lips were connected sloppily. Lucas had both hands on Yuri’s face as he pressed against him. Yuri didn’t know what he was meant to be doing and just let his hands find their way to Lucas’s chest. He didn’t pull away until he started to feel Lucas’s tongue try to make his way into his mouth.  
He pushed Lucas a little away from him as he tried to get his mind to focus. He sat up a little too fast, and the room began to permanently spin. The people surrounding them clapping and cheering were not helping his head. Yuri brought a hand to his temple and he closed his eyes, trying to slow his breathing.  
The next few moments were blurry to him. One moment he was sitting up on the bar, trying his best not to implode and the next he was being carried out of the club by Yuuri. The last thing he remembered was seeing Victor talking to Lucas next to the bar, before he just let his eyes close completely.

~~~

Inevitably, pictures were everywhere in the matter of hours. Otabek had been struggling to fall asleep, mostly due to the phone call he had with Yuri. He was pacing his room trying to think of how to move them past the drunk phone call and texts. He didn’t want to let it slide but also didn’t want to make much of anything until he could visit and truly explain how he felt.  
Victor had let him know that Yuri was sound asleep on their couch but not much of anything else. No, Otabek found out about the, ‘Ice Tiger of Russia’s Steamy Kiss’, on his own from multiple blogs and gossip pages. He saw many angles of what had occurred at the club and by the 4th article he finally realized he had his hand clenched around his phone tightly. He threw it across the room, not particularly caring where it landed or if it broke in the process. It took him only a second more to slam his laptop shut, efficiently ending the call he still had up with Yuri’s empty bedroom. As much anger and frustration he took out on his electronics, it also came pouring out as tears. His back leaned against a bedroom wall, as he brought the heels of his hands to his eyes.  
He slid down the wall, landing in a sitting position on the floor. A sob broke the silence as he slowly fell apart. He didn’t even know he could make such a sound. He noticed he was shaking and tried to make himself stop by leaning against his knees that he brought up to his face. His whole body quaked as he bawled. He wrapped his arms around his legs as he opted to cry into his knees instead.  
He was so confused, and angry, but mostly in pain. Did Yuri mean to do that to him? Did he mean to get drunk, tell him some pleasing things, then kiss another guy? Was he even going to remember their phone call? Otabek wondered what truly transpired over the past few hours and tried to make sense of it. It wasn’t fair, whatever it was, Otabek concluded. He cried in that position until he couldn’t produce any more tears.

Slowly he positioned himself on his side, his back still against the wall but his entire body now on the floor. He didn’t bother to move, and he lost track of time as he stared off for hours. Every now and then another bout of anger and sadness came bubbling in his chest, making his eyes well up with tears again. But for the most part he welcomed the silence and coldness of his room. He didn’t even hear someone in his apartment until they were opening his bedroom door.

“Beka as your very amazing dance teacher I expect you at least to bother sho-” Sofia cut off her own sentence as her eyes found her older brother lying on the ground.  
He wasn’t sure who was more shocked between them as he hastily sat up wiping at his face that was still damp from the last tears that had been there. Sofia’s mouth was slightly open as she slowly dropped to her knees in front of him. Otabek tried to look anywhere but her face, feeling ashamed that she found him like this. Sofia just slowly put her arms around her older brother, his face resting on her shoulder. A new round of tears started streaming down his face and he wondered honestly how much water his body could produce from his eyes. His arms wrapped around her as he let himself cry. He felt himself start to shake again as he weeped. Her hand softly rubbed small circles on his back, and it reminded him of his mother. They stayed there until his body quelled and his tears stopped flowing.

“I’m sorry.” Sofia told him as she pulled away to look at his face. His face slightly scrunched up, new tears already stinging his eyes at the apology she didn’t need to give. She didn’t even know what happened, let alone did anything wrong.  
“Sofia, he kissed someone.” Otabek said so quietly, he wasn’t sure he even said it in the first place. But he knew she heard him as he watched an even more apologetic look wash over her face. She softly grabbed his hand and held it in hers before saying anything.  
“It will be okay.” Sofia said softly, nodding her head slightly. Otabek scoffed.  
“You’re best friends, right? I mean you love him no matter what so...That’s all that should matter.” She told him, trying to find the right words. The word, ‘love’, stung Otabek a little bit. He couldn’t deny that feeling, even though he wanted to with how much pain he was in because of it.  
“Otabek what would happen if he didn’t reciprocate the same feelings as you?” Sofia asked him, moving to sit on her butt and crossing her legs. She still held his hand. Otabek bit his lip, trying to think of that scenario even though he didn’t want to.  
“I guess I would have to learn to move on.” He told her with a heavy sigh.  
“I’m not saying you have to do that, by all means, if that’s not what you want to do. But my point is, is that you love him as your best friend. I think you’ll both find a way past this if it means keeping that friendship.” Sofia explained giving a reassuring smile. Otabek nodded, realizing that she was completely right. Regardless of how things turned out after this, or if his feelings were returned, he always intended on staying friends with Yuri. He couldn’t imagine not being friends with him, didn’t want to even at this point. Sofia watched quietly as Otabek took both of his hands and rubbed his eyes. He cleared his throat and gave her a glimpse of a smile. She grinned at him and slowly stood up.

“Come on, Dad said he would make us breakfast.” She told him as she held a hand out to help him up. He stared at her hand.  
“Hey, you came to me to learn how to dance. I don’t care if it was initially for a boy. We’re so close to nailing it and i’m not letting you give up.” Sofia told him sternly. He sighed quietly but reluctantly grabbed her hand and stood up.  
Maybe he would feel slightly better with a home cooked meal from his father. Or even start to feel better once he exerted himself in dancing once again for the day. Possibly he’ll start to feel better once he actually gets some decent sleep. But for now all he knew is that he needed to keep moving, anything was better than sitting on his floor and crying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I TRULY AM SORRY! I debated so hard if I wanted the chapter to end this way but I like how the next chapter starts SO here we are...  
> If you're not one for angst/sadness I promise it won't be as heavy as this too often! So bare with me if you can. I promise things work out.  
> The club and dancing scenes were the hardest for me to write so far, because I feel like it would be easier to show you (like a movie) instead of writing it but hopefully I did it justice. The routines I chose for Lucas is supposed to portray his confidence (look at the people at the head of the routine in the video!) so hopefully that came across. The 2nd routine is also supposed to show the playfulness between the friends ^_^.  
> What did you think of Yuri's drunk call with Otabek? ;)
> 
> Correct Written Translation ~  
>  _So what's with the hand holding? ~ Так что с рукой?_  
>  You don't just hold a guy's hand just cause… ~ Вы не просто держите руку парня, просто вызывают...  
> I'm sorry Yura. ~ Мне жаль Юра.  
> It's okay, old man. ~ Это нормально, старик.
> 
>  
> 
> Please validate my existence <3\. **Constructive criticism** is always appreciated.
> 
> [Catch Me On Tumblr](http://lgfuadjj.tumblr.com/)


	5. Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you lots to people who have commented so far! It means a lot to me. I always love reading and responding to them all.  
> I hope this chapter kind of soothes things for you, even just a little bit, from last chapter!
> 
> xo

The sun bathed Yuri as he laid on a couch in Victor and Yuuri’s home. The bright light made Yuri’s eyes slide halfway open sleepily. He slowly put an arm over his eyes, covering them from the annoyance. He tried to fall back asleep but a slow pulse of a headache kept him from doing so. He sighed as he rubbed at his eyes, trying to wake himself up. He glanced around the living room he was in, and noticed a bottle of water and a bottle of painkillers sitting on the coffee table near him. He grumbled slightly to himself as he reached for them. He managed to sit up slightly, his back resting against the arm of the couch as he fumbled to open both the pill bottle, and water. His headache had started to pound as he decided to take 2 times the dosage to stop it. He hadn’t realized how dry his mouth was until he couldn’t stop himself from drinking half the water bottle in one go. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before putting caps on both bottles. He sat for a moment with a couple fingers rubbing his temple trying to massage the pain out.  
He sat with his head in his hand as he inevitably thought about how he got where he was. Things in his memory started to get fuzzy the moment he went back upstairs with Asya after the first routine. He remembered calling Otabek, but only slightly recalled their conversation. Yuri groaned as he realized he had called him attractive, not only in text but over the phone. How could he be so stupid to do that? He could see Victor’s angry face in his thoughts but couldn’t place the context as to why. Yuri next remembered dancing with Lucas, and then doing the second routine. He slightly smiled to himself as he recalled how good and natural it felt. He kept following along in his mind as the next memory came to him suddenly. It was simply just the feeling of Lucas’s lips on his. Yuri’s eyes shot open as he started to remember that moment vividly. His fingers slightly touched his lips as he recalled the feeling. His first kiss was in public, at a club, while heavily intoxicated. Great. He growled lowly and ran a hand through his hair, slowly getting some knots out. His cheeks flushed a bit as he felt so embarrassed at what had occurred. Maybe drinking in public didn’t suit him after all.  
Yuri slowly stood up and stretched, arching his back. There were some satisfying pops as he rolled his shoulders, and his neck slowly. Suddenly he realized he was still in the same clothes as the night before and decided to rummage through the hallway closet. He always kept a bag of clothes over, for a variety of reasons. He found a dark blue pair of sweats and a long sleeve white t-shirt with stripes. He made his way to the bathroom and silently wondered what time it was. After relieving himself, and changing, he put his old pair of clothes back in the closet and made his way to the kitchen where he heard some movement. Yuri found Yuuri filling up a teapot with water from the faucet. Yuuri gave him a smile as Yuri shuffled through the kitchen behind him and took a seat at a small kitchen table.

“Good morning.” Yuuri said softly as he placed the teapot on the stove and turned it on.  
“Mm.” Was all Yuri responded quietly before laying his head on the table. He felt like his headache was getting worse instead of better, despite the double dosage of medicine.  
“Did you sleep okay?” Yuuri asked him as he sat at the table across from him. Again Yuri just made a sound of agreement. Yuuri just smiled to himself and kept quiet after realizing he wasn’t going to get much of a conversation going. They sat like that for a few moments until Yuri heard another person shuffle into the kitchen.  
Yuri sighed to himself quietly as he heard Victor and Yuuri exchange morning kisses. At least he wasn’t witnessing it. Even though his imagination was probably worse than what had occurred. [ Victor leaned with his backside against the counter beside Yuuri, resting his left hand on his face](http://mashaalapsha.tumblr.com/post/156253427197). He sighed heavily as he watched Yuri with his head on the table in front of him. He didn’t know how to say what he wanted without anger. So he opted to stay quiet for the time being. They stayed quiet altogether until the kettle was whistling and Victor took it off the stove. Yuuri made tea for all 3 of them, placing their cups down on the table before Victor decided to sit next to him, directly across from Yuri.  
Yuri groaned as he forced himself to sit up and drink the tea. He didn’t quite understand how Yuuri knew how to make his tea up to his standards perfectly every time, but didn’t question it as he let the warmness consume him. He didn’t realize how much more comforting tea was when he felt miserable inside and out. He gave a fleeting smile at the pleasant feeling of it before realizing Victor’s eyes were on him. Their gazes met for a few brief seconds and Yuri couldn’t help but look away first. He’d seen the look on his face plenty of times, and not just from him. He could tell the _disappointment_ held in it. Yuri’s eyebrows furrowed slightly in the middle. He still could see Victor’s furious expression from the night before burned into his memory. Even vaguely feel the tone of what he had said. But he couldn’t recall the words. He was starting to get angry at himself until Victor’s voice slightly startled him.

“Yura...Do you even remember what happened last night?” Yuri almost scoffed but bit it back.  
“All of it, or just the ‘juicy stuff’?” Yuri asked emphasizing his last words with a sarcastic tone. He still saw the look he hated on Victor’s face.  
“This isn’t a game.” Victor said coldly. Yuri dragged a finger around the rim of his cup in a full circle slowly before speaking.  
“I don’t clearly remember everything, no. But if you’re asking if I remember sharing my first kiss in public, then yes.” Yuri told him before picking up his cup and taking a long sip. Victor sighed and ran a hand through his silver hair. Yuuri sat there quietly enjoying his tea.  
“It’s all over the internet.” Victor told him. Yuri let his scoff slip this time.  
“You know I don’t give a shit about what anyone says.”  
“Yeah but some people that care about you do.” Victor told him lightly, holding his gaze. Yuri hadn’t really thought about it that way much before. His actions directly reflected on those around him, and those who openly call him a friend. His heart ached slightly at the thought of Otabek seeing it and forming his own conclusions.  
“I’m sorry.” Yuri said quietly, refusing to look at Victor. He understood the reason behind the disappointment, because he could feel it too. How could he be so reckless with their reputation, let alone his own?  
“It’s okay. You’re allowed to have fun even in the public eye.” Yuuri told him, breaking the silence that had fallen over them. Victor glanced at Yuuri.  
“I mean, you might be a little careless as of late but...The people that do love you will always be there for you.” Yuuri went on to explain as he glanced between Victor and Yuri. He smiled reassuringly before taking another drink of his tea. Yuri wanted to make a face at the fact that he was pretty much saying that he loved him, but it was comforting at the moment rather than disgusting. He was thankful for someone as grounded as Yuuri was in situations like this.  
“He has a point.” Victor agreed quietly, reaching for Yuuri’s hand next to him. Yuri bit his lip in thought before speaking again.

“What should I do?” Yuri asked hesitantly. He wasn’t sure if he would like to hear the answer. It was quiet for a bit as Yuuri let Victor answer the question first, glancing at him waiting for him to say anything.  
“Well...I would start by apologizing to your best friend.” Victor said slowly as he pulled Yuri’s phone out of his pocket and slid it across the table to him. Yuri felt his heart ache again as he unlocked his phone. He realized it was late morning, which meant it was early afternoon in Almaty. What could even be said to Otabek? While he remembered calling him attractive, he couldn’t recall anything else spoken between them. How do you ask for forgiveness for something you’re not sure you entirely regret? He realized the phone was fully charged, and wished Victor wasn’t so kind to him. He would rather it be dead and have to deal with it later. He pulled up their text conversation and sighed heavily as he re-read what was texted. He still didn’t think he could say that he was attractive while sober out of sheer embarrassment.

“You should also probably talk to Lucas.” Yuuri chimed in as Yuri struggled to type anything to Otabek. He couldn’t help but throw his head back and sigh in exasperation. Yuri was more than annoyed at the fact that he got himself into this mess. He just wanted to drown in the tea Yuuri made him instead of dealing with it. It was as if Yuuri read his mind in a way, and got up to make him another cup.  
“I can deal with the inevitable press on Monday. But I think it would be good to try and stay out of trouble for a little bit. If you can manage that, at least.” Victor said with a slight smile on his face behind his cup before finishing the rest of his tea. Yuri rolled his eyes but also had a smile playing on his face as he reached for the cup Yuuri handed him. He glanced at his phone, the text conversation still pulled up between him and Otabek.

**_Y: Beka, I don’t even know where to begin. All I can come up with is that I’m so sorry for making things weird between us. I understand if you can’t talk to me for a while or something, I deserve that after being an idiot. I just hope my drunk self didn’t cause you too much embarrassment or even pain by being my friend._ **

Yuri struggled to type what he wanted to say. He didn’t regret saying he thought he was attractive, because that was the truth no matter how much he wanted to deny it to save him the humiliation. But he knew whatever else was said between them might have left things a bit awkward. He only hoped what Yuuri had said rang true for Otabek as well. That he still cared even after Yuri made a fool of himself. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Victor and Yuuri started making breakfast together. He suddenly wondered if Otabek liked making breakfast. He realized the only meal he pretty much ever was able to witness Otabek make was dinner. Yuri’s phone vibrated and his breath hitched with the anticipation of a text back from him. But he was slightly deflated to see a text from Lucas instead.

**_L: Good morning, Yura. Do you think we could talk in person somewhere?_ **

Yuri chewed on the inside of his cheek. He didn’t realize he was going to be dealing with everything all at once today. But he knew he had to if he wanted to feel better about the situation at all. He sighed quietly as he typed a response.

**_Y: Morning. Sure, how about that coffee shop near your work?_ **

Talking about things over a cup of coffee seemed like a nice idea.

**_L: That sounds good. Meet there in 20?  
Y: Okay._ **

Yuri savored the rest of his tea before getting up to find his shoes and jacket. Victor gave him a questioning look as he pulled on his shoes while sitting back at the table.

“Lucas wants to talk.” Yuri told him as he finished and slipped on the jacket he had from the night before. Victor sighed to himself as he rubbed the back of his neck before responding.  
“Just...Be careful, okay?” Victor told him as he produced a hair tie for Yuri seemingly out of nowhere. Yuri took it from him as he shook his head slightly.  
“Sure, dad.” Victor smiled so wide Yuri was sure he was going to be hugged if he didn’t leave his vicinity. He walked to the bathroom in a haste, and put his hair up in a messy ponytail.  
“If you’re hungry after, come back for breakfast.” Yuuri smiled to him before Yuri said goodbye to the couple and made his way to the shop.

~~~

Yuri was the first one there between the both of them, and ordered himself a cup of coffee and a pastry. He hadn’t really realized how hungry he was until it was in front of him. Maybe he would have to take Yuuri up on his offer of food afterwards. He didn’t even notice Lucas walk in until he was sitting across from him. He almost choked on the food that was in his mouth at the arrival. He wiped his mouth with a napkin while Lucas just smiled at him, waiting for him to say something.

“Sorry I couldn’t resist ordering something.” Yuri managed to say as he added some more sugar to his coffee and stirred it.  
“I’m sorry for making you wait for me.” Lucas replied before a waiter came by their table and he ordered something for himself. Yuri shook his head, saying he wasn’t bothered by it as Lucas just gave a small smile. It was quiet between them as Yuri took small bites of his pastry. It wasn’t until Lucas’s coffee and his own pastry arrived that the silence was broken.  
“Yu-”  
“Lu-” They both tried to talk at the same time. Both were a little embarrassed, pink rising to their cheeks as Yuri motioned for him to speak first.  
“Yura I wanted to say that I’m genuinely sorry for what occurred last night. It wasn’t my intention for that to happen but...It did.” Lucas spoke sincerely and focused his attention on Yuri, who tried to hide his reaction behind his cup of coffee.  
“Also, I don’t particularly regret that it did. Just that it happened while we weren’t in the right mindset or setting.” Lucas added as he poured some creamer in his coffee. Yuri’s face was hot.  
“You don’t regret kissing me?” Yuri heard himself ask. He needed to be sure he understood what he meant. Lucas smiled at him before shaking his head.  
“Why would I?” Lucas also had a blush on his face as he added some sugar into his cup and took a small sip from it. Nothing came to Yuri as to why, not even the sarcasm or snark that usually came naturally. He opened his mouth to say something and only a small sound escaped his throat before he shook his head slightly and closed his mouth again.

“Do you?” Lucas asked him another question, noticing his struggle to answer the first. Yuri took a moment this time before opening his mouth again.  
“Not exactly.” Yuri agreed that he didn’t like that they kissed in public while drunk. But the kiss itself wasn’t the worst thing in the world. Lucas bit his lip to stop a smile from spreading. He took a bite of his pastry before saying anything again.  
“Well as long as we’re on the same page about it then I’m okay with that.” Lucas told him with a smile. Yuri smiled back.  
Their conversation continued, as they talked about the other things that had occurred the night before, namely their routines and how they felt about them. They talked until their cups were empty twice over and their pastries long gone. Lucas had a look of hesitancy as he ran a hand through his hair for a brief moment.

“I’ve liked this, a lot.” Lucas said, clearing his throat afterward. Seemingly trying to keep his nerves down before he kept speaking.  
“But I need get home and work on some school work i’ve neglected for too long. I would like to do this again sometime though, if you want. Maybe we can hang out tomorrow night?” Lucas’s question was hopeful as he cocked his head slightly towards Yuri. He knew his cheeks were red as he fumbled to answer.  
“That...That would be nice.” Yuri agreed as Lucas smiled at him brightly. They both left money on the table and walked out of the shop together. They parted ways with a wave and Yuri found himself walking back to Victor and Yuuri’s place.  
He still hadn’t received a message back from Otabek, but knew it had been read from the message receipt. He sometimes wished technology wasn’t as advanced as it was to let a person know that they read what you had to say and didn’t give a fuck to reply back yet. He sighed heavily, slightly accepting the small idea in the back of his mind that he didn’t deserve Otabek’s friendship. But damn did he still want it, even after everything.

~~~

Yuri didn’t even get a text back from Otabek for well over 24 hours. Close to 36 hours really. As much as Yuri wanted to double text, or even quadruple text, he was the one that stated that he understood if Otabek didn’t want to text him. While he did understand it, it didn’t stop him from wanting to hear from his best friend. When he got the long awaited text he was in line with Lucas at some dollar movie theater. Asya told them she had homework to work on, leaving them to come up with something to do on their own. The movies was Lucas’s idea, and Yuri felt like he needed the distraction. After they paid for their tickets for some movie Yuri hadn’t even heard of before, they stood in line together at the concessions. Yuri paid more attention to the text received from Otabek than anything Lucas was telling him at the time.

**_O: I forgive you. You’re my best friend. Nothing you say or do will ever change that._ **

Yuri couldn’t stop the bright grin that formed on his face, even if he wanted to. He breathed a sigh of relief as he clutched his phone and closed his eyes. He felt alleviated by the simple text and extremely happy and wanted to cry happy tears at what he re-read for a 3rd time already. A nudge brought him back to the world surrounding him. They were at the counter, the cashier and Lucas were looking at him waiting for him to say something.

“Small popcorn.” Yuri said hastily, truly not knowing how long he had been standing there with them staring. The cashier just smiled as she handed him what he wanted. Lucas paid for the both of them, as Yuri was still stuck in amazement at what he had read from Otabek and trying to ground himself back in the world. He wasn’t really focused again until they were sitting in their seats, opting to sit in the very back row. There wasn’t many people there and most were sitting at least 5 rows ahead of them. Yuri still smiled as he finally texted Otabek back.

**_Y: That is so relieving to read <3\. I’ll apologize every day if I have to, if it makes you feel better._ **

Yuri didn’t notice Lucas’s curious gaze on him. Yuri waited for a reply from Otabek before even turning his attention to anything else.

**_O: I said I forgive you Yura <3\. So no, you don’t have to apologize every day ;)._ **

Yuri quietly laughed to himself before finally realizing how rude he was being by not even acknowledging Lucas’s existence. He quietly cleared his throat and turned his attention to the boy beside him.

“Sorry, I’m a little distracted.” Yuri confessed sheepishly as he locked his phone and put it in his pocket. He had sent a few more hearts and a smiley to Otabek as a reply.  
“It’s okay. Watching you is amusing all the same.” Lucas smiled at him, before lacing their hands together. Their hands rested in Yuri’s lap on his upper knee. Yuri felt his cheeks tinge with heat at the simple interaction. They hadn’t touched since their kiss 2 nights beforehand. He was thankful he didn’t have to say anything more as the lights dimmed and movie trailers started playing. He was very conscious of the hand enclosed with his. He noticed the small circles drawn by Lucas’s thumb, at the base of his own. As the movie slowly progressed he noticed how sweaty and clammy hands could get from being in contact for so long. He wasn’t sure if it bothered him or not yet.  
Yuri pulled his feet up so they were flat on the seat, his knees sticking up in front of him. But instead of trying to find a way to hold their hands together still, Lucas opted to put an arm over his shoulder. With the movement Yuri slightly leaned against him, their shoulders resting against each other. They were only like that for a few moments until Yuri could feel Lucas staring at him instead of the film. Yuri turned to look at him and felt Lucas’s hand tenderly take a hold of his chin. Lucas held his gaze softly before kissing him gently. Yuri watched Lucas’s eyes fluttered closed, and he wondered if that was a natural reaction or because that’s what people did in movies all the time. He openly stared as he felt Lucas’s hand at the back of his neck holding him closer. He couldn’t help but watch and try and understand how a person’s lips could make his chest burn and ache with an indescribable feeling. Lucas pulled away with a smile on his face as he still held Yuri’s chin. Yuri sucked in a breath of air with a small noise, not realizing he hadn’t been breathing the entire time. Lucas lightly chuckled at him before turning his head towards the movie once again. His hand found it’s way to Yuri’s closest knee innocently.  
They weren’t quite making out, only sharing enough kisses before one of them couldn’t breathe before returning their attention back to the movie. But truth be told neither of them knew what the hell the plot was, but it didn’t bother them. During one particular kiss, Yuri became painfully aware how far north Lucas’s hand on his knee was drifting. It was slow but he could feel the intent behind it. Especially as Lucas’s tongue slowly swiped across his bottom lip begging for entry. Yuri might have allowed it if he wasn’t focused on the hand inching ever so slowly upwards. He felt everything in his body tense and pulled away forcefully, making Lucas look at him with a surprised look. Yuri was surprised at his own reaction, and stuttered to say anything.

“Bathroom.” Yuri said quietly as he got up and made his way out of the theater without waiting for a response. On his way to the bathroom he quietly wondered why they were becoming his safe haven but was definitely thankful as the room was empty.  
Instead of holing up in a stall though, he opted to stand at the sink and run some water over his face. He sighed quietly after splashing himself twice with cool water. He grabbed at some paper towels and slowly pat dried his face before even looking at himself in the mirror. He took notice first to how red his lips were. As if he had been eating a red popsicle for the past hour. Then he realized how flushed his face was, even after cooling off with the water. It looked like he had just got done running a few miles. He slightly groaned as he ran a hand through the hair at the back of his head, untangling some knots. He had Lucas’s hand to thank for doing that.

Once he brushed his hair thoroughly with his hand, he set both of his hands on the bathroom counter just staring at himself. He watched his body move as he breathed in heavily and let out a heavier sigh. He closed his eyes trying to calm himself even further. He didn’t understand why he was freaking out suddenly. He was here, kissing an attractive person who wanted to kiss him back. And by the way things were seemingly started to head, wanted to do much more than that with him. His brows slightly furrowed at the idea of doing much more than kissing, in public no less. He could barely picture himself kissing Lucas, let alone doing that kind of stuff with him, even in a private place. His mind wandered as he thought of the only person he’d ever thought about being intimate with…  
Suddenly a group of voices brought him back to the fact that he was standing in the middle of a bathroom. A trio of guys walked in, and made their way to relieve themselves. Yuri cleared his throat and let out a quick sigh before making his way out of the restroom. He found Lucas leaning against a wall across from the bathroom door, on his phone. Yuri was a bit surprised but didn’t question it as he went to stand in front of him, hands in his sweater pockets. Lucas was fast to look at him and put his phone away, smiling softly before saying anything.

“I thought maybe you’d want to get out of here.” Lucas told him as Yuri quirked an eyebrow. He didn’t even think the movie was close to being over.  
“We weren’t really watching the movie anyways.” Lucas shrugged with a slight smile and his cheeks reddening. Yuri couldn’t help but look away, with a smile forming on his face and silently agreeing. He watched Lucas hesitantly hold out a hand towards him, waiting for him to take it. Yuri bit his lip and waited a moment before grabbing it. Lucas couldn’t help but grin as they walked out together hand in hand.  
The night air was still a bit brisk, even as it was getting closer to summer but Yuri could tell it wouldn’t last for much longer. They walked together silently, Yuri slowly realizing he was walking them to his place since there was no other set destination. Lucas didn’t seem to mind following though. Yuri felt his thumb making circles at the base of his again and decided he liked the sensation. The walk to his place seemed shorter than normal, and his sudden stop startled Lucas. Yuri smiled as he slightly nodded his head towards the building they were standing in front of, silently letting him know that this was his residence. Lucas looked at the building and smiled. Yuri couldn’t tell what he was thinking. He bit his lip as he pulled him slightly towards a set of stone stairs and took a seat. Lucas soon followed suit and sat down, sitting a step higher than him. They still sat in silence with Lucas still rubbing small circles. Lucas cleared his throat, and Yuri glanced at him as he was readying to speak.

“I’m sorry if I made things weird at the theater. It’s not my intention to make you uncomfortable. I got carried away, and I apologize for that.” Lucas told him, and Yuri knew he was just as sincere as when he apologized about kissing him at the club. Yuri cocked his head at him before responding.  
“What is your intention?” Yuri questioned, truly curious. Lucas’s face turned into surprise, his eyes going slightly wide.  
“I...I don’t know.” Lucas looked away as he stuttered out an answer. Yuri pursed his lips in thought. He didn’t know his own intentions either. He felt like it should bother him more than it was at the moment, given every other time he thought about it, it did. But he felt reassured in a way, as if it was okay to not know what you want as long as you both didn’t. Lucas looked at him with a slightly guilty look on his face. Yuri gave him a soft smile before finally responding.  
“That’s okay, I don’t know either.” His soft words made Lucas smile like a child, his guilt melting away. Yuri couldn’t help but smile at his expression.  
Lucas bit his lip in a moment of hesitation before kissing him softly. Yuri felt himself pressing into the kiss, more than he ever had before. Lucas smiled as he brought both hands to cup Yuri’s cheeks, holding their lips together. Yuri felt the gentle swipe of his tongue again, and this time allowed it to meet his. This time they were actually making out, and Yuri couldn’t understand his feelings about it. While it felt nice and mostly warm, he couldn’t place the feeling that loomed over him that didn’t allow him to fully enjoy the moment. A text tone went off loudly in his pocket making him break away from the kiss. The tone was set for Otabek specifically. Yuri blushed red as he realized a text made him stop what was happening abruptly. Lucas chuckled nervously as he pushed some hair out of his own face.

“I’m sorry.” Yuri told him, not quite understanding why a text from Otabek made things just stop suddenly. Lucas just gave him a reserved smile.  
“It’s okay. I should probably get going anyways. I’ll text you later or something.” Lucas told him as he stood up off the stairs. He bent over slightly, his face getting closer to Yuri’s. He glanced at Yuri closely as he waited to be kissed again, but Lucas only gave a small smirk as he opted to kiss his forehead instead. Yuri gave him a side smile but waved at him as he walked away. Yuri fished his phone out of his pocket to read one word that was texted.

**_O: Skype?_ **

Yuri bit his lip as he smiled, and got up to head inside. He knew it was late in Almaty, so the right thing to do would be to tell him to go to bed. But he needed to talk to his best friend just as much as see him. They hadn’t been able to talk much for a few days, for obvious reasons but also because they had been pretty busy individually. Yuri had replied to give him a few minutes to get ready for bed, before he started changing into something more comfortable to sleep in. He sighed to himself as he thought back to how it felt to kiss Lucas on the stairs.  
He felt his chest tighten as he suddenly put two and two together that Otabek’s text was the reason why he pulled away to begin with. The fact that his chest burned and ached while they kissed at the theater wasn’t due to the kiss itself, but because he felt _guilty_. He felt remorseful because he had never pictured doing that with anyone else but Otabek. It felt wrong to think honestly that’s all that he wanted. That inkling idea that he didn’t deserve Otabek in any sense of the word started to creep up on him as he slid into bed. Otabek’s name popped up on his laptop, startling him. He was half tempted to let the skype call ring out and pretend he fell asleep, but he was too selfish to do anything of the sort.

“Beka.” Yuri breathed quietly as Otabek’s webcam loaded in after he accepted the call.  
“Hi Yura.” Otabek smiled at him. He was laying on his stomach, his elbows leaning on his pillow. His hair was a bit askew and Yuri wondered if he had napped earlier and didn’t bother fixing it. Not that it mattered how exactly it happened, Yuri loved it regardless.  
“I’m sorry.”Yuri muttered quietly, looking down at his hands. He felt as if Otabek was really in front of him, not wanting to even glance at him through the screen.  
“Yura, I still forgive you.” Otabek said warmly. Yuri halfheartedly smiled. His apology wasn’t just because he made a fool of himself the other night on the phone. It was also because he had feelings for him he didn’t quite fully grasp. He couldn’t stand the fact that these unsaid feelings were messing with their friendship like they were.  
“Sorry I just needed to say it out loud. To make it more solidified between us.” Yuri told him as he brushed hair behind his ear.  
“Well I appreciate it. But like I said before, nothing you can say or do will change the fact that I want to be your friend.” Otabek told him and Yuri felt a wide smile spread on his face.  
“Even my best friend?” Yuri asked jokingly.  
“Yes, even that.” Otabek smiled playfully as he cocked his head to the side and glanced at Yuri through the screen. They stayed up far longer than they both should have, but they both could tell they missed each other. Spending days off of skype from each other seemed to throw them both off kilter, and this was a much needed re-balance of both of their worlds.

~~~

Wednesday afternoon, Yuri invited Asya to skate with him after her dance class. She happily obliged, wanting to get back on the ice again after her somewhat embarrassing first time. Yuri opted not inviting Lucas, just wanting to spend time with Asya instead. It didn’t seem to bother her in the slightest. After lacing up their skates, Asya held onto Yuri’s hand as he helped her onto the ice. He ran through the basics briefly again, and finally taught her how to stop. Once she felt comfortable enough to glide around on her own, Yuri put some music on to fill the silence in between conversation. They both skated around, sometimes near each other, sometimes not as Asya wanted to test how fast she could go around the rink. Yuri smirked at her as she came to a skidding stop near him, digging up some ice in the process.

“You’re getting pretty good at this.” Yuri told her as he stopped near the entryway into the rink and grabbed 2 water bottles. He handed one to Asya as she slowly made her way towards him with her own smile. She took it from him before saying anything.  
“It’s actually pretty fun, once you know how to stop.” She laughed at the face Yuri gave in response. It was a slight glare with a hint of a lingering apology from the last time they were on the ice together. They both leaned with their backs on the boards, taking sips of their water in silence, aside from the music still playing overhead.

“So what’s on your mind?” Asya turned to him, and asked curiously. Yuri could feel her gaze on him as he ran her question through his head.  
“I know we haven’t known each other that long, but my mother always told me I had a knack for reading people and situations.” Asya explained further, before Yuri could even ask her how she knew something was bothering him. He bit his lip, still just watching her from his peripheral vision.

“Why weren’t you more surprised about Lucas and I?” He asked her, his gaze fixated on the deep cuts in the middle of the ice still there from his morning training. It was an odd thing that stuck out in his mind, but out of everyone she seemed the least surprised at their newfound level of intimacy. She didn’t question it like others close to him did. She didn’t even ask for any gossip level details, and if Yuri learned anything about her the past few weeks, it was that she liked conversation about anything and everything. The question itself seemed to throw Asya off guard. She cleared her throat a bit before she turned around and leaned forward on the boards, staring towards the locker room.

“I actually was very surprised. I still am, but I didn’t want to make a whole scene about it. Which, I know is completely opposite of who I am.” Asya chuckled to herself before taking another drink of water. Yuri let his questioning silence push her explanation forward.  
“I’m shocked because someone like you is interested in him. And I don’t mean that as in your bad ass, Russian ice skating, medal winning self. I mean that as in the person that I have met and seen outside of this rink.” Asya told him as he cocked his head to the side. He knew her statement didn’t hold jealousy, but he was very curious as to why she would say something like that at all.  
“Look, Yuri...If I’ve learned anything about Lucas these past few months that I’ve known him, it’s that he usually gets what he wants.” She turned towards him and met his gaze for a moment before staring down at her water bottle.  
“I mean, he’s an attractive guy. I kind of just stopped being surprised by seeing him with someone.” Then it clicked in Yuri’s mind finally that he wasn’t Lucas’s first. Not like Lucas was for him. He opened his mouth to finally say something but nothing came out. His mouth was suddenly dry. He sucked water from his water bottle in a haste.  
“I’m sorry if I said something surprising. I just...Wanted to be honest with you.” Asya told him apologetically. Yuri shook his head before speaking.  
“No, I’m glad you’re honest with me. I just had no idea he had been with other people. I should have guessed as much.” Yuri told her as she said, ‘Oh’ softly.  
“I don’t think he’s a bad person. I mean he makes questionable decisions sometimes, but I’ve never seen him do something to hurt someone on purpose. Personally, it doesn’t bother me because what people do is their own business. But...If he hurts you Yuri, I personally promise that I will make him disappear.” Asya spoke the last of her statement almost in a hushed tone. As if it was a secret promise between the two of them. Yuri believed she was being actually serious by the way she was glancing at him, and the lack of a smile on her face. He couldn’t help but laugh at the severity of her statement. She cracked a smile and nudged him with her elbow.  
“I think Victor and Yuuri might race you on that one.” Yuri joked which made Asya laugh heartily and nod in agreement. As their laughs quieted, Asya sighed softly before speaking again.  
“Just...Be careful with him, okay? For both of your sakes.” Asya asked of him quietly, watching his face for a reaction. He gave her a soft smile and nodded. She placed her hand on his shoulder and softly squeezed reassuringly. She set her half empty water bottle on the edge of the boards before skating away from him and around the rink on her own. He watched her slow skates and their cutting strides into the ice while he got lost in his mind.  
He wasn’t upset necessarily, but the idea did bother him that he was inexperienced when it came to relationships. Not only romantically but just in general. He still had a lot to learn when it came to people and their intricacies, other than his own. He felt foolish in a way for assuming Lucas was new to this like he was. He bit his lip, deep in thought, before Asya caught his attention. 

“Yuri, will you do some jumps for me, please?” Asya asked from across the ice. He couldn’t help but smile at the polite request and skated out to the center of the ice to indulge her. Yet again, he pushed his thoughts to the back of his mind for something to think about and figure out later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [This scene](http://mashaalapsha.tumblr.com/post/156253427197) wasn't made for my story specifically, whatsoever, but it gave me a lot of feels some reason when I first saw it. I knew what kind of scene I wanted to write to begin with, but this piece kind of just put it into perspective for me. Hopefully you enjoyed the addition of it in the middle of reading!  
>  I also hope you like the way Victor and Yuuri 'parent'. I'd like to think that after everything Yuuri has gone through himself, mentally, that he would be the logical and laid back half as Victor would be a little bit more harsh and straightforward with things since he definitely understands the idea of having to uphold an image (maybe more so than Yuuri).  
> Let me know how you feel about Lucas and Yuri's newfound relationship being, 'I don't know what I want' ;).  
>    
> Please validate my existence <3\. **Constructive criticism** is always appreciated.
> 
> [Catch Me On Tumblr](http://lgfuadjj.tumblr.com/)
> 
> xo


	6. Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter I return to a much needed Otabek POV for a bit. I hope you enjoy!
> 
> xo

Thursday night at Lucas’s class, Yuri and Asya were standing by a wall in the front room stretching and talking, waiting for the class before theirs to end. Once it finally did, Lucas welcomed his class into the studio like he usually did. Yuri smiled at him happily.

“Hey you.” Yuri told him as he stopped at the door, after the class had filed in. They hadn’t seen each other since his previous dance class. Not that a day was that long, but they hadn’t even texted much.  
“Hey.” Lucas said back with a half smile. It struck an odd chord in Yuri. He was elated to see him again, but Lucas didn’t seem to share the same sentiment, at least not on the same level. After a short silence between them, Lucas motioned for him to enter the studio with his hand, and a questioning look on his face. Yuri cleared his throat and entered the classroom, his happy smile slowly fading. Maybe Lucas was tired from a long day? Yuri wasn’t sure, but tried not to dwell on it as he walked over to Asya who was sitting and stretching in the back of the studio. He sat next to her and did the same, texting Otabek.

**_Y: Goodnight, just in case :)._ **

It was his usual message on Tuesday and Thursday nights if Otabek so happened to fall asleep while he was away at dance class. Even though Otabek usually stayed up, Yuri always wanted to make sure it was said as a reminder that it was _okay_ if he was asleep before he got home.

**_O: See ya in a couple hours ;)_ **

Yuri laughed at the reply, shaking his head, before setting the phone in his bag. He stretched as Lucas gave his usual welcome speech to the class. He seemed as happy as he normally did before a dance session. Yuri wasn’t sure if it was in his head or not, but took notice that Lucas didn’t lock eyes with him once. It was nothing like the first class he ever went to, and again it slightly bothered him. Yuri sighed as he stood up to get ready to go through the previous routine they learned in the class before. Maybe he didn’t look at him because he was sitting on the ground? Yuri chalked all of this up to be over thinking and overanalyzing things. He did happen to do that quite often.  
The rest of the class went fairly smoothly, Yuri letting his negative thoughts live in the back of his mind as he focused on the new routine Lucas showed them. But those thoughts came flooding back after class ended, and Lucas excused himself from Asya and Yuri’s presence and went outside by himself. Asya shrugged at Yuri as they both did cool down stretches. Lucas had been gone long enough that they were outside and ready to leave before he even came back in for his things. Yuri happened to notice him and a girl talking around the corner of the studio. He couldn’t help but stare and try to decipher their conversation. It didn’t last much longer as they embraced in a long hug before the girl walked down the street away from them. Asya had been focused on her phone and missed the interaction, and Yuri pretended he didn’t see anything as they both stood in front of the door, waiting for Lucas to make his way back to them.

“We’re still studying, right?” Asya asked Lucas as he walked slowly towards the front door of the studio.  
“Yeah of course. Let me grab my things. You want to join us, Yuri?” Lucas asked him. Yuri was a bit startled at the sudden question, still trying to understand what a hug could mean between him and another person.   
“Uh...If you guys want me there, sure.” Yuri answered, glancing between the both of them. Asya shrugged with a smile.  
“It might be boring for you, but I don’t mind.” She answered for the both of them. Lucas smiled brightly before heading back inside by himself. He soon emerged with his backpack and locked the studio up. The three of them got into Asya’s car and headed towards her apartment.  
Yuri was silent in the backseat on the ride over, as Asya and Lucas talked in the front seat about their upcoming exam the next day that they were going to cram study for. Yuri felt a little off, regardless if he was over thinking or not. He knew a hug signified a relationship of some kind. He wasn’t jealous exactly, but only slightly uncomfortable at the fact that he really didn’t understand the person he shared his first kiss with.

When they got to Asya’s apartment, she excused herself to change. Lucas and Yuri were left in the living room by themselves. It was oddly quiet, apart from the shuffling of papers from Lucas taking things out of his backpack. Yuri bit his lip as he watched Lucas silently, whom had his back turned to him. Yuri took a deep breath before speaking up about what had been on his mind since their first interaction that night.

“Hey, are you mad at me or something?” Yuri asked, still watching him. Lucas immediately stopped what he was doing. He set his bag on the couch before turning to face Yuri who was still glancing at him.  
“Why would you think that?” Lucas asked him this counter question as he took a few steps to stand in front of Yuri. Yuri took the time to notice that Lucas was in fact a few inches taller than him. He had to slightly look up to meet eyes with him, at this close of distance between them at least. Lucas brushed Yuri’s left cheek with his hand. Yuri’s lips twitched into a smile at the touch.

“It doesn’t matter. You’re obviously not.” Yuri spoke quietly. Lucas gave him a half smile before kissing him. Yuri savored the moment, relishing in the fact that nothing was wrong between them. Regardless of whatever transpired at the studio, Yuri now knew that it was him interpreting the situation wrong. Lucas gripped Yuri by the waist with one hand as his other moved behind his neck, deepening their kiss easily. When they finally pulled apart, they both struggled for air. Both of their faces were flush as they laughed quietly together. Once they finally caught their breath, Lucas slowly went in for another kiss before they were interrupted.

“You guys are cute and everything, but I really do need to study.” Asya smirked at them. She had her arms folded and was leaning against a wall, watching them. Both boys pulled away from each other hastily, faces going more flush than before. Yuri had no idea how long she had been there. She laughed as she waved at them, signaling not to be so worried.  
“I don’t mind, honestly. I just felt like a creep by standing there and not saying anything.” Asya smiled as she started pulling out a textbook from her backpack.  
“Yeah, you are pretty creepy.” Lucas joked as he turned back to his own work that he had been pulling from his bag. Asya playfully pushed him before she plopped herself in front of her couch, on the floor.  
Soon Lucas and Asya were going over study guides, and previous quizzes together. Yuri only felt a little out of place, not really understanding their subject of art history. Instead of trying to follow along with their conversation, he spent the time scrolling various social media platforms and catching up on posts he had missed. He also sent off a text to Otabek, telling him that he might be longer than anticipated and to truly not wait up for him. Otabek’s only response was, ‘We’ll see :)’.  
A little more than an hour had passed, and the living room was quiet apart from the periodic shuffling of papers and long sighs. Yuri laid on his stomach on the ground, with Lucas at his side doing the same. Asya sat across from them, her back against her couch and a spread of papers lying everywhere. She shook her head and clapped her hands, gaining the attention of both Lucas and Yuri.

“Anyone else hungry? I need food before trying to shove the rest of this information in my head.” Asya sighed at the papers in front of her before glancing at her friends. Both of them shook their head no in response as she stood up. She gave them a warm smile before making her way into the kitchen. Yuri was scrolling through twitter for the 10th time, looking for anything he hadn’t read before Lucas leaned his head on his shoulder and sighed heavily.

“Yura do you want to take my test for me? I promise to make it up to you somehow…” Lucas told him quietly, his face half smushed into Yuri’s shoulder as he spoke. Yuri laughed slightly at the sight.  
“Sorry but I don’t know much about art history. You would be better off taking it and possibly failing it, yourself.” Yuri told him as Lucas fake pouted. Yuri smiled at his lower lip jutting out. He had the sudden urge to kiss him. So he did. It was only a short kiss, but it seemed to take Lucas by surprise. Yuri realized he had never initiated any of their kisses before now. Lucas seemed to be thinking the same thing, as he smiled brightly at him. Lucas dipped in for another kiss, as Yuri smiled into his lips. They both were suddenly startled by the sound of Asya taking a picture of them on her phone. She stood at the entryway of the living room with a sly smile on her face as she looked at the picture.

“Asya, what the fuck?” Lucas was the first to say. Yuri was surprised at the rare explicative and glanced at him.  
“What, you guys were being cute again so I couldn’t help myself. Everyone will love it.” She smiled at him as she started typing up a caption for Instagram.  
“DON’T post that anywhere!” Lucas hastily demanded. Yuri noticed how flustered he was. He had pushed himself away from where he was laying next to Yuri and was on his knees. Asya quirked an eyebrow, as if trying to read if he was being serious or not. Realizing that he was after a short silence, she cleared her throat quietly before putting her phone down.  
“Sheesh, fine. I just thought you guys looked adorable is all.” She slightly rolled her eyes. Yuri watched Lucas, tense and upset, get up and head towards the bathroom with a sigh. Yuri bit his lip as he glanced towards Asya who had a small frown on her face.

“What was that all about?” He heard himself ask. Her eyes flicked up towards him, and she gave a hesitant shrug. Yuri’s eyes narrowed.  
“Asya if you know something I don’t, I’d like to know.” Yuri was a little more aggressive than he ever intended to be with her. She didn’t seem to take much notice though, as she gave him an apologetic look.  
“It seems like he doesn’t want to be seen with you.” Asya told him, timidly. Yuri’s eyebrows furrowed as he digested what she had said. Ever since the club, it did seem like he was avoiding PDA, particularly in front of people he knew other than Asya. Yuri tried to say anything to her, who was glancing at him with a concerned look, but Lucas came back into the living room before he could. He still seemed rigid, and slowly started to pack up his things. Asya and Yuri waited for him to say something.

“I have to work on a paper. I’ll talk to you guys later.” Lucas murmured to them quietly, before making his way to the front door. He didn’t even wait for a reply as he left the quiet apartment, somehow making it quieter. Yuri slowly stood up from his spot on the ground and sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. He glanced at Asya who shrugged at him in response, sheepishly. She left to the kitchen once she heard a timer going off, leaving Yuri alone to his thoughts. Is that why he was acting standoffish at the studio earlier? The fact that he only really addressed Yuri when it was the three of them after the class had ended, solidified Asya’s statement in his head. Yuri found himself making his way into Asya’s kitchen and taking a seat at the table. Asya watched him out of the corner of her eye as she stirred a stew she had on the stove. Yuri bit his lip before looking at her, asking for answers without saying a word. She turned the stove off before sighing and taking a seat at the table as well, leaving the stew to cool. Yuri swallowed a lump that was in his throat before speaking.

“Is it because of me?” Yuri wasn’t sure he recognized his own voice as he asked Asya the question quietly. He didn’t understand why this was happening. Was it because of who he was or because of something else entirely? His mind raced with ideas of what it could be. Asya looked at him worriedly.  
“Yuri, no I don’t think it’s because of you!” Asya was fast to put a comforting hand on his own. Yuri relaxed only a little bit at the action. There still was no solid answer. But she looked like she had something in mind as she continued speaking.  
“To be honest, I’ve never seen Lucas be open or public about any of his relationships. I thought maybe after what happened at the club and the fact that it kind of blew up would change how he felt but…” She trailed off, knowing she didn’t need to exactly finish her sentence. It was obvious to the both of them that he wasn’t comfortable about it still by how he acted. Yuri bit his lip before speaking again.  
“Do you know why?” Asya tilted her head as she thought about it.  
“I don’t know if you’ll like my answer.” She said quietly as a thought crossed her mind. Yuri only quirked his eyebrow, waiting for her own explanation.  
“It’s only a guess. You’ll have to ask him yourself if you truly want to know. But maybe he doesn’t like personal stuff posted because he’s used to being outwardly single.” Asya sighed a little as her eyes met Yuri’s. The realization hit Yuri hard in the face. Whatever this was between them wasn’t exactly a relationship, so why would either of them display it as such? He rubbed the side of his temple slightly, getting annoyed at the fact that there were so many layers and complications that came with simply just kissing someone. 

Asya got up to finally serve some stew for herself. She motioned to Yuri, silently asking if he wanted some and he nodded in agreement. It smelled too good to pass up. They sat in mostly silence as they both ate. Yuri couldn’t understand what he was feeling, truly. He hadn’t thought about ever calling Lucas his _boyfriend_ but what other label was there to put on it? Were they dating? Friends with benefits? The idea of any label made Yuri anxious. But without a label, it made him just as anxious and confused. He sighed yet again before pushing his finished bowl away from him. Asya took both of their bowls and washed them before putting the stew away in the fridge. During this, Yuri took the time to get up and grab his bag. He was patiently waiting for Asya to finish, next to the entryway to the kitchen. Once she turned her attention towards him, he spoke up.

“I think I’ll head out now. I’ve done more than enough to distract you.” Yuri tried to lighten the mood as he slung his bag over his shoulder. She gave him a remorseful look before she followed behind him through the front door and they stopped on her front porch. She gave him a quick hug before they said their goodbyes.  
“Yuri like I said, it was only a guess as to why he feels the way he does about this kind of stuff. You’ll have to ask him yourself for the truth.” Yuri only slowly nodded in response before leaving.

Yuri pulled out his phone more to distract himself from his own intrusive thoughts but found himself scrolling through Lucas’s Instagram page. Most pictures, aside from the selfies, were with groups of people. Rarely was there ever a picture of just him with one individual. None of which insinuated any type of relationship more than a friendly one. Yuri wasn’t exactly in a rush to intentionally put a picture of himself up kissing Lucas, mostly because of what the people closest to him would think. But on the other hand he didn’t hate the idea of sharing an intimate relationship via social media. That was what he did with pretty much the rest of his life anyways so what difference did it make. Aside from what Asya said, Yuri couldn’t get the inkling feeling out of the back of his head that it was because of him, personally.   
It aggravated him to the point he unintentionally slammed his front door. Once in his bedroom, he shut that door with force as well. He continued to aggressively shift his clothes drawers, while getting out a t-shirt and shorts to slip into. He sighed after pulling off his clothes, and sat on the edge of his bed half naked. He knew it was wrong to assume anything without asking Lucas, but the concept was in his head and wasn’t going to go away. He pulled on his clothes and was readying himself to turn off his light when a voice suddenly startled him.

“Yura?” Otabek’s voice came from Yuri’s laptop sleepily. Yuri had a small heart attack, and then immediately felt bad, realizing a) he had forgotten he was on skype with his best friend and b) had woken him up in his small temper tantrum he couldn’t control even if he wanted to.  
“Beka i’m so sorry.” Yuri sighed as he watched Otabek rub his eyes and then shake his head in response, to not be sorry yet again. Yuri was beginning to take notice how often he was saying that to Otabek these days. At least once a day it seemed, for something or another, since he called him while drunk. Yuri smiled weakly at the thought. That small idea that he didn’t deserve anyone like Otabek in his life was slowly starting to sprout dangerously in his mind.  
“It’s okay. I wasn’t asleep long.” Otabek responded with a small smile on his face, trying to read Yuri’s mood through the laptop screen. He had woken up from the bedroom door slam, and had watched him through the laptop camera when he sat on his bed, deep in thought. He would have let his thoughts run wild about the fact that Yuri was half naked yet again, but had noticed Yuri’s face and the fact that he was very unhappy about something.

Yuri excused himself for a moment to brush his teeth and do his nightly routine before bed. Otabek waited patiently as Yuri made his way back to his room and turned off the light before settling under his blankets. He laid on his side, facing his laptop. Almost as soon as he plugged his phone in on its charger, it buzzed with a notification of a text. He glanced at the name noticing it was from Lucas and hesitated a moment before pulling up the thread.

**_L: Hey, sorry for leaving like that. Asya can sometimes be a little much for me. We should do something this weekend if you want :). Goodnight and pleasant dreams._ **

Yuri slightly huffed before rolling his eyes and threw his phone to the side of his pillow. He shut his eyes for a moment and re-read the text in his head. How could Asya be a little much? She didn’t do anything wrong, in Yuri’s eyes. Maybe a little distance would be better for them until Yuri could get a better grip on the idea that Lucas may be uncomfortable about what they were. What even were they again? Yuri remembered how stupid he was to not push further for some kind of clarification. That they had both mutually agreed on that they, ‘Didn’t know what their intentions were’. Yuri brought his hand to his face as he sighed. Maybe getting some insight on relationships and what to do in these types of situations wouldn’t be a bad idea. Yuri silently agreed that he might have to reluctantly go to the only married couple he was actually quite fond of. Even if it meant getting another lecture or two.

“Yura, are you okay?” Otabek’s voice pulled him back into looking at the laptop screen in front of him. Yuri gave a smile and nodded. He didn’t know how to explain any of this to Otabek. Honestly he didn’t even want to try.  
“You know you can talk to me about anything, right?” Otabek told him. It wasn’t the first time in their friendship that he said this sentence, but thought it needed to be brought up again. He could see, in fact, that Yuri was not okay. It bothered Otabek that he refused to tell him anything. It reminded him of when they first became friends. While Otabek wasn’t much one for pushing someone to open up because he understood the feeling of being reserved, he just wanted Yuri to be himself and feel like he could say anything he wanted without being judged. Because that was the truth. Otabek was willing to listen to anything and everything Yuri had to say. It was especially true that he was willing to be an open ear or a shoulder to cry on. Regardless of how he felt about Yuri, he was still his best friend first and foremost.

Yuri also recalled the first time Otabek had told him this before. It was when he was worrying about his grandfather’s back surgery, and the fact that he couldn’t be there while away at a competition. It had driven him mad, mostly at himself, and Otabek was the only one who could tell something was wrong with him off of the ice. Otabek had always been the only person who could read him, behind his snide remarks and sometimes sassy demeanor. That was one of Yuri’s favorite things about his best friend, as much as was his least favorite.

“I know that. Thank you.” Yuri replied quietly, before rubbing at his tired eyes.  
“Maybe you can just explain to me what’s been going on later. You need sleep.” Otabek was firm on not dropping the subject, but knew they both needed to head to bed.  
“Yeah that sounds good. Again, I’m sorry for waking you up. Goodnight Beka.” Yuri yet again apologized, and it make Otabek sigh with a soft smile before saying goodnight himself and turning over. They both laid awake a little while longer, thinking about what the other could possibly be thinking.

~~~

Saturday afternoon, Yuri and Asya went on a run together on a trail path on the outskirts of St.Petersburg. The sun shined brightly and it started to actually feel like summer, finally. The duo soon reached the peak of a cliff they had been running up. Yuri slowed, Asya close behind him. He stopped once he reached the top, and rested his hands on the top of his head trying to get his air flow back to normal. Asya did the same next to him. They looked at a part of the city below them quietly. Yuri smiled at Asya next to him as she pulled out her phone and took some pictures of the view. She turned the phone towards herself, and beckoned Yuri to join her. They took a picture together, with the view behind them. She smiled as she wrote the simple caption, ‘ _@asyalesposito: Breathtaking. W/@yuri-plisetsky_ ’. Yuri smiled as he glanced at the post on his phone before reposting it to his own page.

“Hey, you’re not mad at Lucas or anything, right?” Asya asked him and Yuri was caught a bit off guard at the question. He tried to not think about Lucas since he ignored his text two nights before. Even though the idea of trying not to think of someone and successfully not are two different things. He cleared his throat before replying.  
“No, I’m not mad at him. Why?” He told her as he pulled out his ponytail, and pulled his hair back again into a tighter one.  
“He texted and asked if you seemed mad when you left my place the other night. I told him that it was a weird situation but you didn’t seem angry about it. I was just curious.” Asya shrugged. Yuri couldn’t help but think about that day, where he learned a lot of information he wasn’t sure how to digest. He was still trying to get his mind right before even hanging out with Lucas again, which was why he hadn’t even texted him back. Yuri bit his lip before explaining himself further.  
“I’m not mad at anyone but myself.” Yuri told her with a small sigh. Her face fell into a slight frown.  
“Yuri if you’re worried about anything I said the other day...That was never my intention with what I said. I just wanted to be honest with you because you deserve that.” Asya explained to him quietly. Yuri smiled slightly.  
“I appreciate that, truly. But I’m only mad at myself because I allowed myself to end up in this situation where neither Lucas and I essentially know what the fuck we’re doing with each other. I mean...Maybe he knows, but I don’t.” Yuri shook his head as he looked onto the city before him again. He felt like a child based on his inexperience alone, and he was afraid that his insecurities about whatever was going on between him and Lucas made him sound stupid. He felt like maybe he should just be happy that anyone wanted to kiss him, let alone wanted to multiple times.   
“Maybe you both truly don’t. But I don’t think you should be angry at yourself about it. Just ask him for a solid answer of what he wants from you, once you figure out what you want from him.” Asya told him as she stared out at the scene below them as well. His brows furrowed a bit in confusion. He hadn’t thought about what he wanted from Lucas. As he racked his brain at what that could be, Asya took a few more pictures. While it was nice to kiss Lucas every now and then, what was the end game for them? If he was being completely honest with himself, Lucas wasn’t exactly the person he wanted. Yuri chewed his lip trying to figure it all out. He sighed before both him and Asya slowly started to walk back down the hill back to town. Yuri wasn’t sure he wanted to contact Lucas as of yet. He still had some thinking of his own to do.

~~~

Otabek was splayed out, shirtless, in a lounge chair in his parent’s backyard mid-afternoon on Saturday. He had his headphones on, blaring music and a pair of sunglasses on to shield his eyes from the bright sun that was high in the sky. He had another successful dance ‘class’ with Sofia earlier, where he finally memorized the entirety of the dance he had wanted to, without asking her for any step. Sofia begged him to celebrate his near ‘graduation’ from her class with ice cream, or something of the sort, but Otabek told her that he needed some recharge time before doing so. It had become his Saturday ritual, to spend time listening to music and reflecting over whatever came to mind. 

Easily, Yuri was what dominated his thoughts most of the time. He had his eyes closed as one of his own self made mixes came on. He smiled as the song he had listened to every Saturday, the one he memorized a dance to, came on. But this time he truly listened to the words, rather than focus on trying to move along to it. When he first researched songs and different routines, honestly he was looking for a simple enough dance to a good beat. But now, weeks later, as he finally listened to the lyrics he realized how perfect it fit with how he felt. It was subtle but just enough by essentially saying, ‘I want to be there for you, through anything’. He knew actually confessing how he felt, with the lyrics to this song, it’d be quite hard to misconstrue his intentions or his feelings. He only hoped Yuri would be willing to listen.

His brow furrowed slightly as the thought of Yuri kissing Lucas crossed his mind. He’d be lying if he said he was over it. While yes he did forgive Yuri for being a drunk idiot, in public no less, he still held pain from what had occurred. The fact that they still hadn’t talked about it openly was what bothered him the most, aside from Yuri not telling him what was wrong with him lately. He knew it had something to do with Lucas. Yet he couldn’t bring himself to be forceful to make Yuri open up about it. That was never his approach to anything when it came to Yuri so why would he change that now? He wanted Yuri to be willing to talk to him first, rather than make him uncomfortable and put him on the spot. He knew of all things, that’s what Yuri hated the most. He always needed time to decompress and analyze things on his own before even trying to talk about things. And Otabek was always willing to be patient about that fact. 

Still, Otabek bit his lip in thought. It didn’t change how _he_ felt, and the pain _he_ went through himself. He was still unsure of what Yuri even remembered or not. Regardless, their relationship was a two way street, and Yuri’s needs and wants were just as important as his own. Even in a friendship people make sacrifices and small changes for the ones they deem important, because that’s what friends do. Otabek was willing to do practically anything for Yuri, but letting himself suffer by not talking about what had occurred to the both of them that night was not something he was willing to let slide so easily. He decided maybe just this once he needed to put a little pressure on Yuri into talking about something that affected him just as much. It was only fair that he was able to get his own feelings off his chest on the matter. Otabek sighed quietly to himself as he came to the conclusion of having to talk to Yuri about it, sooner than later this time around.

He started playing the scenario out in his mind, trying to anticipate that conversation before it happened. Suddenly he had an inkling feeling someone was looming over him. He slowly peeked an eye open and realized Sofia was staring down at him, the sun blaring behind her as her shadow covered his face. Otabek pulled off his headphones to rest at his neck, before pausing his music. His eyebrows rose in a question before Sofia sighed softly and sat at the edge of his lounge chair, next to his feet. They sat in silence for a moment as Otabek took off his sunglasses to be more polite. He realized Sofia was readying words to say.

“How are you lately?” She asked her brother quietly. She only glanced at him once there was a silence after her question, making sure he had actually heard. He had, loud and clear, but was still trying to formulate an answer that wasn’t just a sigh.  
“I’m better than I was when you found me last weekend.” He finally answered, watching Sofia’s face for a reaction. She gave a weak smile, happy that he was better of course, but also remembering the state he was in just a week before.  
“I’m still sor-”  
“If you say you’re sorry for crying in front of me one more time Beka, I swear…” Sofia cut off his sentence with a stern one of her own. Otabek gave a faint smile as he nodded. He had already apologized profusely for the rest of the weekend before and only finally stopped once Sofia made the same type of threat.  
“You’re my brother and you’re allowed to fucking cry in front of me. Especially when you’re in pain and need to.” Otabek gave her a look silently chastising her for cursing in front of him, but remained quiet about it. Sofia fiddled with some jewelry on her hands that she liked to wear. Otabek knew it was one of the things she did, subconsciously or not, when she was anxious.

“Have you guys…?” Her question trailed off as she looked at Otabek to finish the rest of the sentence between them. Honestly it could have led to anywhere, but Otabek understood the rest of it asking if they had talked it over. He shook his head no.  
“Honestly I’ve been scared to talk about it.” Otabek voiced his fear to his younger sister quietly. Her silence let him continue speaking freely.  
“A part of me just wants to get it over with - just tell him how I feel and ask if he feels the same. Maybe he wouldn’t have kissed someone else if he knew how I felt. Even in his drunken state. If I had just told him then where would we be right now? But the other part of me is stubborn and wants that to happen in person. I need it to happen in person for my own selfish reasons. I feel like if we talk about what happened during that phone call, it’s either going to be dismissed as his drunk antics or it’s just going to end awkward. What if he asks how I feel? It’s stupid but I just can’t tell him that through skype or over the phone. I won’t forgive myself if I try to explain that to him not face to face.” Otabek didn’t intend on unleashing all these thoughts on his younger sister, but knew she was just as deep into this as he was. He had told her the events of the weekend before. About their phone conversation and how he could have sworn Yuri was on his way to confessing his feelings but just couldn’t be 100% positive that’s where he was headed before Victor interrupted him. At the time Sofia didn’t have much to offer in advice. Just to mull everything over before making any rash decisions. But they both had time to sit on what had occurred the weekend before.

“I agree, you shouldn’t explain your feelings except in person. It’s the only way you’ll get a straight and honest answer back. You can sit here and think what if all day, but the fact of the matter is, he doesn’t know how you feel. What if he doesn’t feel the same, what if he wouldn’t have kissed that boy back, what if he’s not ready for a relationship, what if what if what if. But that isn’t fair to yourself and you know it.” Otabek bit his lip with a small sigh as he listened to what Sofia had to say.  
“Beka...I’ve honestly only seen you this determined twice before. First and foremost, always with your skating. Second, that one time when you were on a mission to murder the boy who cut a chunk out of my hair as a joke when I was younger.” Otabek full on chuckled as he remembered that day very vividly. It was one of the few times in his life where blind rage was the only thing that fueled him. 

He had been waiting for his sister after school in their usual spot to meet before walking home. When she finally met up with him, she was noticeably miserable and with red eyes. Otabek had to coax what had happened out of her gently, before she confessed a classmate had cut an obvious jagged patch out of her long hair. Upon seeing it, Otabek was fuming and instantly knew who the culprit was. Let’s just say, it ended with Sofia having to jump on his back to finally get him to walk away from the boy who had done it.

“My point being...Don’t stray from your original plan if that’s what you’re settled on. But do try and talk about what happened last weekend, because if you don’t before you visit then things just won’t feel right. You should settle what happened before getting to the happier and better stuff, ya know?” Sofia gave a soft smile as Otabek mirrored it, in agreement.  
“How the fuck are you so smart?” Otabek asked as Sofia raised an eyebrow.  
“Language ?” Sofia grinned as Otabek shook his head at her with a smile before playfully pushing her arm.  
“Honestly, I get it from you and the books I read. Mostly you though. Don’t tell Mom and Dad that.” Sofia laughed at her answer as Otabek sat up, throwing his legs over the same side of the chair his sister was faced. He suddenly pulled her into a hug but she didn’t mind as she hugged him back.

“Hey Otabek..” Sofia said quietly after a few moments of their lingering hug. They separated and he looked at her questioningly, waiting for her to finish her sentence.  
“Hashtag put a goddamn shirt on is still in effect.” Her seriousness made Otabek full on laugh heartily before reluctantly searching for his shirt. He put it on and followed her inside their parent’s home before indulging in an ice cream celebration.

~~~

Later that night, with a few hours already clocked into their skype call, Yuri laid on his stomach on his floor with his laptop in front of him. He had just got done with a shower and was braiding his damp hair while he babbled to Otabek.

“You would probably like Asya a lot. She’s becoming one of my favorite people. Other than you of course.” Otabek smiled as Yuri told him this.  
“I guess I will have to meet her when I visit.” Otabek told him as he watched Yuri grin.  
“Are you going to tell me when you’re planning on that or is it going to be a surprise?” Yuri quirked his head in question.  
“Mm, now that you say it, a surprise sounds better.” Otabek chuckled as he watched Yuri roll his eyes playfully.  
“Well there’s always room for you here, or even at Victor and Yuuri’s place. I’m sure they’d love to have someone around to bother.” Yuri laughed as Otabek was the one who rolled his eyes playfully this time.  
“You know I prefer staying with you.” He told Yuri as he couldn’t help the slight blush that he felt burn his cheeks. He noticed Yuri’s blushing too though, and didn’t feel as embarrassed.  
“Yeah I prefer that too.” Yuri agreed. Otabek bit his lip to hold back the smile that wanted to form on his face. Otabek took a swig from a water bottle to hide the fact even more. He watched Yuri concentrate on his side braid he was meticulously working on before sighing. This was as good of a time as any to ask Yuri some burning questions about the other night.

“Hey, Yura…” Otabek started, trying to form the rest of his question in his mind. Yuri still focused on the braid he was working on as he responded with a sound of, ‘Hm?’. Otabek took a deep breath and let it out quietly before speaking up again.  
“Can we talk about that phone call the other night?” The question fell easily from Otabek’s lips, surprisingly without hesitation. He watched Yuri stop braiding his hair suddenly, but still stare at the hair he held out in front of him. Yuri bit his lip, then cleared his throat before answering.  
“What did you want to talk about?” Yuri asked quietly as he restarted braiding his hair, more to avoid looking at the screen where he knew Otabek was looking at him.  
“Do you even remember our conversation?” Otabek asked with a slight tilt in his head. Yuri felt his face go warm. He only remembered one specific thing, also thanks with the help of the texts he had sent. Was there something even more embarrassing?  
“Well uh, I remember calling you attractive.” Yuri bit his lip before reluctantly glancing at the screen at Otabek.  
“That’s all?” Otabek asked, not delving further into the fact that yes, he had called him attractive. Yuri took a moment to think about it again. The only thing that came to mind was Victor being mad at him. He still didn’t know why but it definitely had something to do with his phone conversation.  
“I remember...Victor taking my phone away from me.” Yuri mentioned, trying to play the scene out in his head to fill out the blanks.  
“Do you remember why?” Otabek kept questioning, which made Yuri start to believe he had definitely said something that was worrisome.  
“I honestly...” Yuri started to mention that no, he didn’t really remember shit other than that, but the shrill of his ringtone cut him off. He opened his mouth to speak again, initially ignoring the sound until he realized someone was calling him. He looked towards his bed where his phone was, with an irritated look on his face.  
He came back with the phone in his hand and the annoyance settling on his face, but it softened as he read the name on the caller ID. Otabek watched curiously as Yuri switched from anger to hesitation as he accepted the call. Yuri answered a phone call from Lucas. When he put the phone to his ear, he heard loud music in the background. Lucas’s voice came through as a slur and Yuri barely heard the sound of it let alone the words being said.

“What? I can’t hear you.” Yuri told him as he put a finger in his other ear, trying to drown out any other sound to try and listen to him better. He heard some shuffling and soon the loud music was no more. Lucas spoke again.  
“Yura, what are you doing right now?” Yuri could tell he had been drinking. Yuri sighed slightly before responding.  
“How about what are _you_ doing?” Yuri questioned back instead of explaining his personal time with his best friend at the moment.  
“I might be a little drunk.” Lucas confessed, as if Yuri couldn’t tell. Yuri didn’t even know what to say. He didn’t want to be snarky even though he felt the sarcastic response on the tip of his tongue.  
“Can you help walk me home?” Lucas asked him suddenly and Yuri nodded before realizing he needed to be vocal about his agreement through the phone.  
“Yeah, where are you?” Yuri told him as he looked around for his jacket and some suitable clothes. Lucas told him the place, which wasn’t too far off from where Yuri lived. Yuri ended the call between them, telling him he’d be there soon. It took Yuri a moment to remember Otabek on the other side of the skype call. He sighed as he picked up his laptop and placed it on his bed.

“I’m sorry, I have to go. A...Friend called and needs me.” Yuri told him as he slipped on his shoes. Otabek narrowed his eyes at the way he said, ‘friend’.  
“Yura, I...” _need you_. Otabek reluctantly didn’t let the rest of his sentence slip. His mind raced to find a replacement of how to finish it.  
“Beka?” Yuri questioned, waiting for him to say something.  
“I...will talk to you later.” Otabek finally said with a small smile, trying to hide any other emotion he was feeling. Yuri bit his lip, noticing his friend’s own forced smile.  
“Look I promise we’ll talk about this tomorrow. Goodnight Beka.” Yuri told him as all Otabek could do was nod and say goodnight back. Once Yuri left, Otabek left out a hefty sigh.

He wanted to get this over with more than anything. It didn’t matter to him what Yuri remembered or not, he just wanted to know what he did. He also couldn’t help his mind wander to the fact he needed to go help a, ‘Friend’. He wished it was Asya but knew in his gut it was more than likely Lucas. Otabek didn’t want to overthink anything, so he opted to resort to doing what he liked best - mixing music and making playlists.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So a few things happened... ;).  
> I hope you guys are enjoying Asya and Sofia being pretty much the boy's voice of reason, as much as I am. They're my favorite characters to write in aside from the boys ;P.  
> To stir some discussion, please let me know what you think about Lucas's actions! Or anything else your pretty minds are thinking about :D (I respond to literally every comment - can you tell I am attention starved? Haha).
> 
>  
> 
> Please validate my existence <3\. **Constructive criticism** is always appreciated.
> 
> [Catch Me On Tumblr](http://lgfuadjj.tumblr.com/)


	7. Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to prepare you yet again, that a character cries in this chapter...I promise it's like a band-aid ripping off though! (Brief and not as painful as the last time someone did).
> 
> xo

Yuri felt pretty bad for leaving Otabek in the middle of their conversation. Especially with the way he forced a smile just for him. But Yuri was also reluctant for a distraction from the discussion he wasn’t quite sure he was ready to have. It was already embarrassing that he had called Otabek good-looking. He wasn’t sure if he could handle hearing what else might have been said that drunken night. It was selfish to deny Otabek that explanation he deserved but Yuri tried not to think about that fact as he walked in a slight haste to the bar Lucas said he was at. He spotted Lucas outside, sitting against the stone wall of the building. Yuri sighed to himself before walking up to where he was sitting on the ground.

“Yura!” Lucas exclaimed as he saw the man standing above him.  
“Come on.” Yuri told him as he reached out a hand to help him up. Lucas grabbed it and still struggled to stand. He used his other hand to push himself up against the wall. When he got to a fully standing position he leaned heavily into Yuri.  
“You’re so pretty.” Lucas breathed in his face. Yuri could smell the tinge of alcohol on it. He slightly blushed at the sudden compliment but remained focused. He took Lucas’s left arm and put it around his shoulders, holding as much of his weight as he could. Yuri started to walk in the direction of Lucas’s apartment, with Lucas skidding along the sidewalk. Yuri didn’t realize over the phone he was this drunk. Was he like this on his birthday, or worse?

“Yura why did you come for me?” Lucas asked quietly, turning his head towards Yuri. He could feel Lucas’s breath on his neck as he tried to focus on the sidewalk in front of them.  
“It sounded like you needed me to.” Yuri told him just as quietly, navigating them easily.  
“No but why did you?” Lucas questioned further, still looking at him, barely even picking up his feet to help Yuri guide them to his apartment. Yuri took a moment to respond, truly contemplating his answer.  
“I was worried about you. You wouldn’t ask for help unless you needed it.” Yuri told him, glancing at him for a moment before focusing back on the pavement. Lucas gave him a lazy smile while staring at him.

He was quiet the rest of the way to his apartment. He willingly handed the keys over to Yuri as they stood outside his front door. Yuri fumbled a bit, trying to hold Lucas’s weight against him and open the door at the same time proved to be a bit harder than he thought it would be. Once he opened the door, Lucas stumbled through the dark apartment before turning on a hallway light. Yuri closed the door behind him, and put the keys on small stand nearby. He waited a moment, watching Lucas disappear into a room down the hallway and turned around back towards the door. He locked it, just in case he didn’t make it out of the apartment for the night, and headed towards the room Lucas was yelling for him in.

“Yura please stay the night.” Lucas asked him as he met him at the doorway of the bedroom. Yuri bit his lip in contemplation, before he nodded in agreement. Lucas smiled before throwing his arms around Yuri’s neck and hugging him closely. Yuri went stiff for a moment, being caught off guard, but returned the hug. Lucas leaned on him a bit, still trying to use him as a balance more than anything. Lucas soon pulled away slightly and cupped Yuri’s cheeks. He planted a soft kiss to his lips, Yuri wondering how he managed to do such a thing in the state he was in.

“I’ve never met someone like you.” Lucas breathed against Yuri’s lips when he pulled away. Yuri quirked an eyebrow.  
“What do you mean?” Yuri asked him quietly, his hand coming up to stroke his face. Lucas shook his head as he stumbled out of Yuri’s grip and sat on his bed. He brought his head to his hands slightly massaging at his temple. Yuri sighed, wondering if the alcohol was getting to him more than he thought.

“Do you want me to get you some water?” Yuri asked. Lucas nodded with an added, ‘Please’, before Yuri slowly left the room. He searched a few cupboards before finding a large cup that looked more like a vase and filled it with water from the faucet. He still pondered as to what Lucas was talking about. Yuri was sure Lucas had met many people like himself. Maybe even brought a lot of them here, back to his place. Yuri didn’t realize he was getting lost in his thoughts until water started overflowing the cup and onto his hand back into the sink. He lowly growled at himself and turned off the faucet before pouring out some excess water. He opted to wipe his hand on his jeans and walked back to the bedroom. He found Lucas struggling to get his own shirt over his head. Yuri slightly blushed at the sight of him undressing.

“Yura…” Lucas seemed to say his name in a pleading, ‘Help me’ manner as he noticed him standing in the doorway. Yuri smiled slightly as he put the cup of water down on a night stand and helped Lucas pull his shirt from over his head. Lucas grinned in a silent thank you before flopping on his back and started unbuttoning his jeans. Yuri’s eyes slightly widened at the action.

“Lucas, what are you even doing?” He asked quietly, watching the boy work at his pants lazily.  
“I sleep in my underwear. Does that bother you?” Lucas stopped for a moment, realizing that it might, and waited for a reply. Yuri could only shake his head no, not trusting his voice to be unwavering. Lucas had managed to shimmy his pants to the middle of his thighs a few moments later, but continued to fight to get them off of his legs. Yuri shook his head slightly with a laugh before helping him pull off his pants in a swift movement by pulling at his pant legs at his feet. Lucas chuckled before he turned over on his stomach and opened a drawer in his dresser. Yuri swallowed non-existent saliva as he thoroughly got a good look at Lucas’s body. He was fully aware of how attractive he was with clothes on, and now the lack thereof had him staring.

“Here.” Lucas suddenly turned around and threw a pair of gym shorts towards him. Yuri was startled as it hit his chest, but caught it before it fell on the ground. Yuri gave Lucas a questioning look, who had turned around to face him now and was reaching for the cup of water Yuri had put down.  
“Sleeping in jeans is uncomfortable.” Lucas told him before taking a huge sip of the water. Yuri nodded in agreement slowly before reaching to unbutton his jeans. He hesitated as he noticed Lucas watching him intently.  
“Sorry.” Lucas apologized, noticing Yuri waiting, and covered both of his eyes with his hands. Yuri gave a breathy laugh before stripping off his jeans and putting on Lucas’s shorts. He had to slightly pull the string waistband to get it to fit comfortably but otherwise they worked. Yuri cleared his throat indicating he was done changing, and Lucas peeked through his fingers before completely uncovering his eyes.  
“Cute.” Lucas smiled before scooting over on his bed, making room for Yuri. He slipped into the bed beside Lucas, and pulled the covers over himself. Yuri could feel the warmth of Lucas next to him as he turned to lay on his side towards him.

“Are you comfortable?” Lucas asked as he also turned to face Yuri, meeting his gaze at eye level.  
“Yes, thank you.” Yuri smiled as Lucas brushed his hair lightly behind his ear. Yuri averted his gaze as Lucas stared at him, their faces close together. Lucas stroked his face lightly before moving his hand under the blankets and lacing their hands together. Yuri felt his thumb start to rub slow circles at the base of his and smiled at the somewhat familiar sensation.

“Thank you for helping me get home.” Lucas told him quietly. Yuri met eyes with him again.  
“Of course.” Yuri said just as quietly, noticing how glassy Lucas’s eyes were. He wasn’t sure if it was just from the alcohol or possibly more. Yuri tried to think back on any of his health textbooks, trying to put glassy eye symptoms to drugs before coming to the conclusion that it didn’t really matter. What mattered overall was why he was out on his own to begin with.

“Why didn’t you invite anyone out with you?” Yuri asked, keeping eye contact with him this time as Lucas’s hands gravitated towards stroking his face again. Lucas’s eyes were gazing over Yuri’s facial features before he registered the question, and glanced at Yuri before he answered.  
“I didn’t think anyone felt like joining me. I didn’t expect to end up like this ,it just kind of happened.”  
“So you were alone?” Yuri wasn’t sure why he was so interested in learning this information. Mostly conversation, but his curiosity got the best of him. Lucas took a moment as he brushed the same piece of Yuri’s hair behind his ear he had before.  
“Yeah mostly. Met some people but nothing out of the ordinary.” Lucas sighed slightly as he put his hands back under the covers again, and found Yuri’s hand.

Yuri wondered what that was like. Meeting people you didn’t know existed in public places. He hadn’t thought of doing that, ever, mostly because people weren’t his strong suit. But also because of the fact that most people, in this town at least, knew who he was. Most of his public interactions were with fans, which was fine, but the idea of meeting someone who could potentially be a friend was an odd idea. The fact that he was even remotely friends with Lucas and Asya was almost by luck, instead of by chance. There was silence between them as Yuri thought quietly.

“Yura can I…” Lucas was the first to speak again between them. He contemplated how to finish his sentence without sounding creepy. Yuri just waited for him to continue, patiently.  
“...Can I cuddle you?” Lucas asked softly. Yuri realized his request held timidness, something he rarely saw from him, especially while inebriated. He gave Lucas a small smile before turning onto his back. Lucas smiled at Yuri just the same as he pushed himself up off the mattress and hovered over him for a moment. Lucas lightly kissed his cheek in a silent thank you before resting his head on Yuri’s chest. He flung an arm over his stomach and sighed in content as he relaxed. Yuri wasn’t quite sure what to do with his hands. One he was able to keep at his side, the other he just opted to rest at Lucas’s back. They laid together quietly, both lost in their own thoughts. Yuri at one point wasn’t sure if Lucas was asleep or not, so decided to ask him the same question he didn’t answer from before.

“What did you mean earlier when you said you’ve never met someone like me.” Yuri asked him, eyes closed. He had them closed long enough that he could feel sleep pull at his consciousness.  
“I mean what I said. You’re the first person to come along and make me question how I do things.” Lucas said, half into Yuri’s chest but still audibly.  
“And how do you do things?” Yuri questioned further. He could feel Lucas’s body rise and fall in a sigh before he answered.  
“I rarely cuddle people. Did you know that?” Lucas’s question was more rhetorical than anything, Yuri realized.  
“I don’t remember the last time I laid in this bed with someone, half naked, without the intention of doing something more than what this is right now.” Yuri blushed at the thought. It didn’t even cross his mind how it might look other than simple cuddling. He let Lucas continue.  
“How I do things...They have no meaning. But you...You have meaning. And I don’t know what it means. Do you understand?” Lucas didn’t move all too much, other than unburying the part of his mouth that was on Yuri’s shirt so he could speak more clearly. Yuri let the statement settle between them before bothering to respond. Enough time had passed that Lucas moved his head up slightly to see if Yuri was still awake or not. Yuri only smiled at him lightly.

“I have meaning but you don’t know what it means?” Yuri wasn’t sure he was following exactly how Lucas wanted him to.  
“I don’t want to say you’re different, because that’s lame and cliche.” Lucas told him. Yuri chuckled lightly, his way of agreeing.  
“What I’m trying to say is I don’t normally see people as long as I have you. I don’t want to stop seeing you, but time isn’t fair.”  
“Time?” Yuri didn’t think about time being a factor in all of this. Lucas sat up slightly, only lifting his head enough to meet gazes with Yuri.  
“I’m leaving in a couple of weeks, back to the states.” Lucas spoke softly, as if this was new information being unveiled between them. Yuri knew it wasn’t but it still didn’t make the simple statement sting any less. He had only thought about it once or twice before, the fact that Asya and Lucas didn’t live in St. Petersburg. That they had entirely different lives than the ones they had here. Lucas watched Yuri’s far away look in his eyes, and gave him a moment to mull his thoughts over. He leaned over Yuri, grabbing the cup that sat on the night stand and forced himself to finish the rest of the water. It was only until he was settling his head back onto Yuri’s chest that Yuri said anything back to Lucas.

“Is that why you don’t want pictures posted with me? Because this is fleeting?” Yuri’s words sounded more hurt than how he said them in his mind and instantly he wished them back into his mouth. Lucas pushed himself up again, this time sitting up entirely and he turned himself towards Yuri. Lucas glanced at Yuri for a moment before looking away with a sigh.  
“No Yura, that isn’t why.” Lucas told him.  
“Is it because you don’t want to be seen with me?” Yuri’s questions kept coming out. He sat up himself, his back leaning against the headboard of the bed as he waited for an answer.  
“Why would you think that?” Lucas asked him. It reminded Yuri of his answer to when he was asked if he was mad a few days earlier. His eyes narrowed slightly at the thought.  
“Answer the question.”  
“Jesus Yuri, I’m not a complete asshole. Is that what you think of me? That I don’t want to be seen with you?” Lucas asked more questions instead of answering. Yuri also noticed the usage of his name, instead of his nickname.  
“I don’t know what to think, Lucas. Unlike you I’ve never done this before. Any of this.” Yuri didn’t want to let this go. Not again. Lucas took a moment, as he rubbed at his eyes and sighed.

“Look Yuri...I just didn’t think it was a smart move to post pictures of us when we don’t even know what we are. I want to keep what we have, between us, so we can figure it out on our own.” Lucas explained. Despite the glassy look he still held in his eyes, the words he said sounded articulated and well thought out. As if he knew this question would be coming up sooner than later. Yuri sighed as he thought about how right he was. The stupidest move right now would be to post a picture of them kissing, without even a relationship title. Victor had asked him to stay out of trouble, after all. He blushed a bit at how embarrassing his accusations were, before clearing his throat and settling this between them.

“I’m sorry. You’re completely right, and I didn’t think of it that way.” Yuri told him.  
“Also, I don’t think you’re an asshole. Usually.” Yuri had a small smirk on his face, as Lucas glanced at him to read his mood. Lucas scoffed in a laugh before breaking into a smile of his own.  
“I’m sorry you felt like what happened the other night was your fault. It wasn’t. You can call it selfish but…” Lucas moved to his knees now, and leaned forward before finishing the rest of his sentence quietly near Yuri.  
“...I just want to keep you to myself for a second, okay?” Lucas smiled before kissing Yuri. He could still tell there was alcohol and whatever else sloshing around inside his head, but the water definitely helped take the edge of it off.  
“Now I don’t know about you but I’m tired.” Lucas told Yuri, touching their noses together for a moment, before settling himself back under the covers and onto his side, facing away from Yuri.  
Yuri watched him for a moment, before sighing heavily, content with getting one of the countless things on his list to talk about with Lucas out of the way. He slid back down under the covers again, on his back. He felt like their conversation was definitely a good step into figuring the rest of this shit out. Yuri closed his eyes as thoughts of Otabek came to him. There were many things in his life that he needed to resolve, even if he didn’t exactly want to. Otabek deserved more than what Yuri was giving to him. He deserved the goddamn world. Yuri found his phone and sent a text off to his best friend before falling asleep.

**_Y: I’m such a shitty friend to you, let alone best friend. I don’t know how you put up with it. I plan to keep my promise, to finish what we started talking about, tomorrow. Goodnight, Beka <3._ **

Yuri waited a moment, to see if it would be read or get a response. When it didn’t he realized it was early morning in Almaty. He smiled at the visual of Otabek softly asleep. He missed being able to see that, even through his computer screen. As he fell asleep, he slightly forgot about the fact that he was in Lucas’s bed and imagined he was in Otabek’s instead.

~~~

The next morning Lucas was the first to wake between them. Between the morning sun and the buzzing from Yuri’s phone, he was surprised Yuri was still sound asleep. It was almost a miracle that he wasn’t as hung over as he thought he would be. The water he forced himself to drink before bed seemed to cure more than he initially thought. He contemplated getting out of bed to relieve himself and get more magical water but Yuri’s phone got his attention yet again. It had gone off a few times in a row now. He glanced at Yuri for a moment, before reaching for the intrusive piece of technology to take a quick look at it. He recognized the name, Otabek, from his research of Yuri and the other skaters. He could only read a part of the message from the lock screen and curiosity itched at him to read more. He glanced at Yuri again before taking a try at the password. It only took Lucas five or so tries, guessing words and names of people closest to Yuri to unlock it.  
Once Lucas had the phone open, he couldn’t help himself reading the texts between Yuri and Otabek, dating all the way back before Lucas was even a part of his life. It took some time but Yuri slept soundly all the same. Once Lucas had enough he locked the phone again before setting the phone back in the same spot he found it. Even though he invaded Yuri’s privacy, Lucas definitely learned more about Yuri than he would ever be willing to tell him. Lucas sighed as he rubbed at his face. He still didn’t want to wake Yuri, and slid out of bed quietly before finding painkillers and water.

Once Yuri did wake up, barely an hour after Lucas had sifted through his private chat logs with his best friend, he noticed something was off with Lucas immediately. Once his eyes got adjusted to the morning light that flooded the room he saw Lucas sipping at a water bottle and on his phone. Yuri smiled slightly before touching a hand to his arm. Lucas didn’t even bother looking at him, let alone try and engage in much conversation.

“Morning.” Lucas told him as he still scrolled through something on his phone.  
“How’s your head?” Yuri asked him, noticing the pain killers nearby.  
“Better.” The short words Lucas was using with him did not settle right, even in his groggy mind. The fact that he had refused to look at him this entire time, was also another indicator that something was wrong. Yuri bit his lip as he sat up and reached for his phone. As he did, Lucas finally spoke more than one word to him.  
“Otabek texted.” The way it left his mouth was nonchalant, but also held a miffed tone. Yuri glanced at his phone before unlocking it, and noticed the lack of a notification saying so. The breath hitched in his throat as he slowly came to the realization that Lucas, possibly, had unlocked his phone. He tried not to jump to conclusions, as he took the time to process the question he had in mind.

“If that’s the case, where is my usual text message notification?” Yuri asked the question as he turned his head to look at Lucas next to him. He watched Lucas stop tapping at his phone for a moment, realizing his mistake, before quickly resuming. The growing silence between them was adding fuel to Yuri’s impending implosion.  
“Honestly Yuri, your password should be harder than your cat’s name.” Yuri’s jaw clenched. He suddenly stood up from the bed, searching for his pants.  
“Yuri…” Lucas sighed as he watched him from his side of the bed.  
“How the fuck could you go through my phone?” Yuri didn’t hide his anger as he stopped what he was doing for a moment to glance at Lucas incredulously.  
“It was a momentary lapse of judgement. I only went through your texts.” The more Lucas spoke the more Yuri’s anger flared inside of him.  
“Oh so that makes it all okay. You went through my private texts that aren’t meant for you!” Yuri threw his hands up as his voice raised.  
“Calm down Yura.” Lucas sighed as he got out of bed and threw on a shirt.  
“Don’t fucking call me that.” Yuri was quiet but his tone was pure acid. He pulled off Lucas’s shorts he had worn to bed and hastily put on his own pants. He didn’t care Lucas was watching this time. Lucas moved to his side of the bed and sat down facing Yuri who began looking for his jacket.

“Yuri I’m sorry, okay? I couldn’t help myself when I saw his name on your lock screen, and a preview of the messages he sent you.” Lucas had lost any edge in his voice as he tried to explain the unexplainable to Yuri. There was silence as Yuri finally found the article of clothing he was searching for..  
“Who is Otabek to you?” Yuri froze as he was pushing an arm through the jacket to pull it on.  
“You don’t get to ask me that. You should know that by looking through my phone.” Yuri zipped up his jacket slightly as he managed to put it on.  
“Yeah that’s the thing Yuri. I don’t think you realize what he might be to you.” Lucas sighed as he rubbed at his temple. His slight hangover was getting worse with the conversation.  
“You have no fucking idea what you’re talking about.” Yuri moved to stand in front of Lucas. He finally looked him in the eyes and regretted it immediately. There wasn’t anger or annoyance like Yuri imagined there would be. If anything, there was only a hint of sadness and hurt.  
“Yeah you know I might not. But I do know just friends don’t send half naked pictures, let alone save them.” Lucas challenged as he stared right back at Yuri. Yuri opened his mouth to say something, anything, but Lucas beat him to it. Which was good, because Yuri had nothing to counter anyways.

“I know just friends don’t send hearts almost every message and I know that they don’t talk every moment of the day that they can.” Lucas continued softly. Yuri was getting less angry about the fact that Lucas read through his texts, and more about the fact that he thought he knew everything about his friendship.  
“Maybe if you didn’t try to fuck every friend you have, you would know what a friendship is.” Yuri’s words were blurted out before he could process the impact of them. Lucas’s eyes narrowed at the statement as it lingered between them. Lucas opened his mouth, anger returning to his eyes but what came out was not what Yuri expected.  
“Just leave, Yuri.” Lucas sighed as his hand motioned towards the front door and didn’t bother looking at him again.  
“Gladly.” Yuri wasn’t sure if his words were justified, but his anger didn’t stop him from thinking so. He turned on his heel and left the apartment hastily. 

Who was he to think going through his texts was okay? Let alone think he could turn around and psychoanalyze Yuri was what made him the most furious. Yuri finally pulled up the text thread between Otabek and himself and read the three texts in a row that he had sent.

**_O: Like I said before, and I’ll say again...You are my best friend and nothing you ever say or do will change that._ **

**_O: I would very much like to finish our conversation._ **

**_O: I don’t want to push you to talk about things, I know you don’t like that, but what happened that night didn’t affect only you._ **

The texts were sent at various different times, but within the same hour of each other. Tears stung Yuri’s eyes as the emotion of anger from the argument, and the realization of how much he had been hurting Otabek overcame him. He hastily rounded a corner into an alley, away from people walking by as he couldn’t stop himself from crying. He brought a hand to his mouth to muffle any sounds as tears fell from his eyes. He took a deep shuddering breath, trying to calm himself down so he could continue walking home. Once he pulled himself together, and wiped the tears from his face, he pulled up his hood on his jacket and resumed his path. He reluctantly was able to send a message back to Otabek without crying at the sudden emotions he felt.

**_Y: I’m on my way home now, if you’re around._ **

A part of him wish he wouldn’t be but he needed to talk to Otabek. He needed to get what had happened between him and Lucas off of his chest, as much as finish their conversation. The response back was fast as Yuri had arrived at his place and was making his way to his room.

**_O: Patiently waiting :)._ **

Yuri took a deep breath before opening his bedroom door, and making his way over to his bed. He sat in front of his laptop and watched Otabek for a moment as he was on the phone with someone. Otabek noticed Yuri’s presence and ended his phone call before addressing Yuri.

“Yura what’s wrong?” Otabek was quick to notice Yuri’s red eyes and the mixed emotions on his face as he hung up his phone call with his sister. Yuri smiled weakly, willing himself not to cry again. Not like this in front of Otabek. Instead he pushed his sad feelings into the anger he felt earlier. He bit his lip before telling his best friend what had happened.  
“Lucas he…Went through my phone.” Yuri clenched his jaw again at the thought.  
“Really?” Otabek raised an eyebrow, wondering how that could have happened.  
“More specifically he went through our text thread and I just...I kind of blew up on him.” Yuri sighed as he thought about the last words he said. He still wasn’t sure if he was being fair, but then again Lucas’s actions were irrational.  
“He went through just our text thread?” Otabek was curious more than angry at the moment. He assumed Yuri held enough anger for the both of them.  
“Yeah.” Yuri scoffed in a laugh, trying to wrap his mind around what had transpired. Just last night they had started to slowly figure out some things. Then his, ‘Lapse of judgement’, made their progress come to a screeching halt. It definitely set them back a few steps.  
“What did he have to say?” Otabek kept asking questions, wanting Yuri to feel better from talking about it instead of holding in his temper like he was used to. Yuri took a moment to recollect himself before answering.

“He’s mad because he thinks we’re more than friends.” Yuri fiddled with his thumbs at the topic. Otabek’s breath hitched. This conversation was entering into a topic he was not ready to talk about.  
“Why does he think that from a bunch of texts?” Otabek tried to downplay it. Tried to make sure the conversation kept on the subject of Lucas and his ridiculous shit than how Otabek felt. Yuri blushed a little before telling him the truth.  
“He was upset that I saved some of your pictures, I don’t know.” Yuri sighed as he pulled his hood off, and started to peel off his jacket. Otabek thought back to any pictures he had sent of himself and the one that stuck out to him was his first dance session with his sister. Otabek tilted his head before he asked about it.  
“You didn’t save that one picture, did you?” Otabek knew Yuri understood which one he meant by the red tinging his cheeks, even noticeably through the webcam.  
“I keep all your pictures Beka.” Yuri couldn’t look at the screen as he bit his lip. Otabek felt oddly annoyed at the fact Yuri misinterpreted his intent with the picture he innocently saved.  
“Wait, why did you save that picture?” Otabek somehow kept his voice calm as his mind raced with ideas.  
“It’s just a picture Beka, it’s not like it meant anything.” Yuri was getting confused as to why Otabek kept questioning him. Otabek let out a scoff at the response. 

“Yuri, I was _flirting_ with you.” Otabek’s tone faltered a bit as he comprehended what he was saying as he said it. Yuri was positive he heard him wrong.  
“What?” Yuri asked quietly, turning up his laptop speakers to not miss the explanation again. He watched Otabek’s cheeks flush.  
“Yuri that picture was my lame attempt at flirting with you. I see now that you didn’t understand that at the time.” Otabek sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. Yuri’s mouth fell open slightly. He honestly needed to get a handle on what flirting was and wasn’t. Yuri didn’t know what to say, so Otabek kept on his track of not letting his feelings get unveiled in this moment.  
“Look, just forget that I said anything. Apologize to your boyfriend.” Yuri heard the word boyfriend and felt his heart nearly drop to his stomach. He was quick to respond this time around.  
“Beka he’s not…” Yuri stopped mid sentence though as he had no idea how to finish his sentence without completely lying. At the very least him and Lucas were _dating_ no matter how much they danced around titles. Otabek waited a moment for him to finish, but realized Yuri wasn’t going to after a few moments.  
“Well _whatever_ he is to you, just apologize, and talk shit out. And delete that picture.” Otabek left little room for Yuri to argue at he continued speaking.  
“Look, my sister is expecting me. Don’t worry about finishing our conversation from last night. Let me know how things go.” Yuri watched as the call between them ended and a million questions flooded his mind. 

First and foremost, how did Otabek expect him to apologize to someone who invaded his privacy? Especially since it meant he was privy to messages Otabek had sent too. Secondly, how was he supposed to just forget the fact that Otabek just confessed he was _flirting_ with him at one point or another. How many other times did Yuri miss it? Lastly, why in the FUCK did he end their skype call as it had just reached the 97 hour mark, one of the longest it had run since god knows when.  
Yuri wasn’t sure what to think, there were so many feelings conflicting and meshing inside his head, he barely registered it as he unlocked his phone and started dialing someone.

“Yuratchka?” Victor’s voice on the other side of the line made him take a second to glance at his phone to make sure he was actually on the phone and not just imagining it.  
“Did you butt dial me?” Yuri put the phone back to his ear to hear Victor’s questions before finally saying anything.  
“I’m coming over.” Yuri hung up before getting a response back and pulled on his jacket yet again.  
He needed answers, clarification to all the emotions that had invaded him before it was even noon. Before he headed out the front door again, he caught himself in a mirror and fixed his hair. Just because he was a mess inside didn’t mean he needed to look like it on the outside too.

~~~

Yuuri was waiting by the front door, waiting for Yuri to walk up to their condo. He had the door open before there could even be a knock. Yuri didn’t say anything about the fact as he walked in, throwing his shoes off, and plopped himself on the same couch he had slept on the weekend before. There was a couch across from the one he was becoming close friends with, where Victor sat. Yuri stared at the ceiling above him for a moment, letting his body relax a little into the cushions below him. Yuuri in the meantime made his way back to where his husband sat. No one said a word, letting the silence settle for a bit as Yuri tried to figure out how to explain the reason why he was there.

“Want some tea?” Yuuri was the first to quietly say anything. Yuri couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at the corner of his lips. He only nodded frantically, hoping Yuuri could be able to tell he was saying ‘Yes’ instead of ‘No’ where he laid on the couch. Yuri could hear tea being poured signifying that he had. He only sat up to reach for his tea once he heard Yuuri sit back down. His eyes couldn’t help but glance at the couple across from him, who seemed to be patiently and curiously waiting for him to explain himself. Yuri took his time, letting the tea warm his soul much like it had the last time he consumed it. Once he set his cup back on the coffee table in front of him, he felt much calmer than how he felt when he arrived. He took a deep breath before exhaling slowly. Something he learned that usually helped further soothe him.

“There’s a lot to explain, so I’m just going to start where I think is the most relevant…” Yuri started as Victor and Yuuri just nodded in agreement.  
Yuri explained, not in great detail just the important parts, of how Lucas and him had this agreement of not knowing what the hell to call their relationship. How Lucas had acted the other night, along with the information he learned from Asya. Then he told them about the night before, Lucas’s reasoning behind not wanting to post anything to social media as well as Lucas invading his privacy. Eventually he got to his final, and most confusing point of everything, where Otabek had confessed he had been flirting at one point or another. Through this explanation Victor stood up and began to pace the living room. This was his way of letting off steam while Yuri vented, without interrupting him instead. Once Yuri seemed to finish explaining everything that had happened, Victor stood next to him and held out his hand. Yuri raised an eyebrow at him, not understanding his gesture.

“Phone.” Victor told him calmly. He needed to see what Lucas saw to fully comprehend his actions and words. Yuri slightly narrowed his eyes, but knew he needed to be up front if he wanted real solutions. He sighed as he handed Victor his phone. Victor quirked an eyebrow, waiting for him to give up his password.  
“Potya.”  
“Yura…” Victor was going to scold him for having such an easy password, one that many of his fans knew, but instead of finishing his sentence he shook his head and decided to read through his and Otabek’s texts. He went back as far as the day Otabek had sent that picture and read all the way up until the latest text from earlier that morning. It took some time for him to read everything, and he paced as he did so. Yuri and Yuuri were quiet, drinking their tea and waiting for Victor to finish. Once he did he let out a heavy sigh as he reluctantly sat back down next to Yuuri. He tilted his head before asking Yuri any questions.

“Why didn’t you come to us sooner?” Victor’s question was softer than how he felt inside.  
“What did you expect me to say? Hey Victor, Yuuri, here’s this picture Otabek sent me and I fucking love it but how am I supposed to react? Hey that guy I shared my first kiss with? Yeah he doesn’t know what his intentions are and I don’t know what mine are either so we’re kind of floating in this unknown abyss, is that normal? Oh and Asya told me some interesting information, the fact that he can’t really keep it in his pants, is that normal?” Yuri felt the idea was ridiculous, having expected to visit them sooner with all of this information. Victor looked at him with his arms slightly raised.  
“Well yeah, honestly any of that would have helped before it came to this.” Yuuri put a hand on Victor’s knee after he finished his sentence.  
“The most important thing to note is that you’re here, now.” Yuuri finally spoke up, trying to get the point across that they were glad that he came to them. Yuri growled lowly as he rubbed his face with both hands before telling them how he really felt about the idea.

“I just wanted to figure it out on my own. I wanted to prove that I’m not a child anymore.” Yuri was quiet as he stared at his teacup that sat on the table.  
“Yura…” Victor’s voice pleaded for Yuri’s attention. Yuri gave it willingly, their eyes meeting before he continued.  
“As long as I’ve known you, you’ve never asked for help. You’ve figured out everything in your life up until this point, alone. You don’t have to prove to anyone, even yourself, that you’re not a child. Because you aren’t. You haven’t been for a long time.” Yuri could feel tears start to prick at the corner of his eyes again. He tore his eyes away from Victor across from him as he looked anywhere else. He bit his lip hard, trying to will them away.  
“You don’t have to do everything by yourself anymore.” Yuri didn’t even hear Yuuri move over to where he was sitting. He didn’t even feel the cushion beside him give way to his weight as he tried so hard to focus on not crying. But that effort was stripped away as Yuuri put a hand on his shoulder and said this to him.  
Yuri didn’t even bother trying anymore as he flung himself to hug Yuuri next to him. He didn’t try and stifle the sounds that he made when he cried as he buried his face in Yuuri’s shoulder. Thankfully both Victor and Yuuri were better at dealing with people crying, more so than they were years previous. Victor came to sit on the other side of Yuri on the couch, and rubbed at his back as Yuuri held him in a hug.  
Once Yuri got over the initial bout of tears and the embarrassment he felt about kind of exploding out of nowhere, he untangled himself from Yuuri. He cleared his throat, trying to ready himself to speak but he was at a loss for words. Instead Victor spoke for him.

“Do you know what you said to Otabek that night?” Victor knew the answer was no, but wanted to give Yuri one more shot at trying to remember. Instead of trying, Yuri just shook his head implying that he did not.  
“I was so angry with you because you were so close to confessing your feelings for him. It only made me mad because that conversation is definitely not meant to happen while you’re drunk, and I couldn’t believe you thought it would be okay.” Victor continued to explain as he glanced at Yuri for his reaction. Yuri brought his hand to his mouth in shock. It was as if his mind found the lost puzzle piece and it all clicked together into place to create the picture in his head. Did Otabek know what he was going to say? Is that what had been settling between them for the last week, that Yuri had feelings for him? Yuri’s face turned bright red at the idea that Otabek has known this entire week and didn’t bring up that conversation until recently. That was definitely what Otabek wanted to talk about.

“Look Yura, I can’t tell you what to do between both Lucas and Otabek.” Victor sat at the edge of the couch now, leaning over with his elbows resting on his thighs.  
“I could tell you what I would do if I was in the situation though, if you want to hear that instead.” Victor wanted to be sure Yuri understood that he was in no way telling him what to do - that’s the last thing he wanted. Yuri sighed heavily before sitting how Victor was, at the edge of the couch. He could only nod, his mind not even letting him say the simplest word like yes.  
“I would tell Otabek how I felt, or at the very least tell him that we needed to talk about something serious the next time he visited.” Victor moved his hands in gestures as he spoke.  
“Honestly...I’d be absolutely furious with Lucas. There’s no way I could ever trust someone like that again. But…” Victor sounded as if his next sentence he might regret saying, but wanted to be honest.  
“As humans we need closure. There are so many people in my past that I burned bridges with at the first sign of a problem and I genuinely regret it. It’s not so much that I wish they were in my life again, it’s the fact that I cut good people out just because I couldn’t handle one small problem. Some people you aren’t meant to be with, but that doesn’t mean they can’t bring some other good meaning to your life.” Yuri understood with this simple explanation that Victor knew exactly what he was talking about. Maybe he had been in similar situations like Yuri, long before Yuuri came along, that made him so good at giving advice now. Yuri glanced at Yuuri on the other side of him to see his reaction, or if he had anything else to add. He smiled at him and just nodded reassuringly. Yuri bit his lip and nodded, signaling his agreement with what was said.  
“I just don’t want to lose Otabek.” Yuri spoke quietly, thinking back at how annoyed he seemed with him on Skype. Those looks were only reserved for people they both mutually disliked, not for each other.  
“I’m sure it will be fine. He just needs some time to collect himself, as do you.” Yuuri told him as he sat up to pour more tea into the 3 empty cups on the coffee table. Yuri agreed silently as he reached for the tea after it was done being poured.

“This was a good conversation.” Victor wrapped an arm around Yuri’s shoulders pulling him in, in a slight sideways hug. Yuri was careful to hold onto his tea as Victor ruffled his head for a few seconds, making a mess of the fine hair easily. Yuri grumbled lightly at the action.  
“Stay for breakfast. Or brunch.” Victor looked at the time on Yuri’s phone briefly before handing it back to him. Yuri rolled his eyes but smiled as he took the phone. Both Victor and Yuuri took his silence as his agreement and both got up to head for the kitchen, leaving Yuri to his thoughts.

Yuri leaned his head back onto the couch, trying to sift through his thoughts. He closed his eyes for a moment to try and think clearly. He came to the conclusion that he had to assume that Otabek felt the same about him, otherwise he would never get the courage to explain his own feelings. But then again the idea he had been getting accustomed to, that he didn’t deserve Otabek, reared it’s ugly head into his thoughts. Even if Otabek felt the same, which was a big if at this point in Yuri’s head, he had already caused him pain and annoyance which wouldn’t have happened if they weren’t friends to begin with. Albeit, the pain was caused without any ill intent but it still happened. Yuri thought back to the last text Otabek had sent. _What happened that night didn’t affect only you._ It pained Yuri to think that he was hurting, especially silently, from what his stupid drunk self had said.

Suddenly Yuri’s mouth went dry as his realization went deeper than what Victor had told him. He put together the fact that one moment he was almost blurting out his secret of having feelings for his best friend, to said best friend. Then the next he had his lips on another boy. The idea almost made him sick to his stomach. Everything started to make sense: Like the way Otabek didn’t respond to his apology immediately, how he had left him on ‘Read’ for a long time. The fact that neither talked about his first kiss that went viral, and Yuri’s own avoidance of talking about anything regarding Lucas. Maybe his subconscious knew all along, how bad he had been fucking with Otabek’s feelings and emotions. Yuri wanted to immediately call Otabek, to settle everything once and for all. But as he hovered over the dial button, he realized that maybe he was being irrational. His spectrum of emotions had run it’s course through and through in the matter of hours and he for sure wasn’t thinking straight. Plus, Yuuri was definitely right. They both needed time to collect themselves and think through their emotions before coming together in a levelheaded conversation about everything. 

Now when it came to Lucas...He finally realized what he wanted from him. Yuri simply needed him to be someone he was not - Otabek. It wasn’t fair to either of them that he was holding onto this crazed concept. While he was still enraged at the notion that Lucas read his texts, it definitely was the catalyst to the conversation of how he truly felt about everything. For that maybe Lucas deserved a small thanks and that closure idea Victor had mentioned before. 

Yuri didn’t even realize he fell asleep thinking about all of this until Yuuri was nudging him awake. He would have been annoyed to be woken from his peaceful slumber but he knew the smell of katsudon from anywhere. He almost ran Yuuri over to make his way to the table where Victor was sitting and smiling at them from.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, so much has happened and not even 24 hours have passed since last chapter (in story time, at least)!  
> As always, please let me know what you think :).  
> Some questions to get conversation started this week is:  
> Are you okay with Lucas invading Yuri's privacy if it means that it pushed him to where he is now?  
> (I know some of you disliked Lucas so to those of you who did/do...) Do you feel bad for him at all after learning a little bit more about his lifestyle and his reasoning to his previous actions?
> 
>  
> 
> Please validate my existence <3\. **Constructive criticism** is always appreciated.
> 
>  
> 
> [Catch Me On Tumblr](http://lgfuadjj.tumblr.com/)
> 
> xo


	8. Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is slightly late. This chapter is very important to me and I needed to revise it like 5 more times before posting!  
> Enjoy :).  
> xo

“ _Non posso cazzo crederlo ... sta per morire._ (I can’t fucking believe him...He's going to die.).”

Asya and Yuri were in the dance studio after her class, when Yuri told her what had happened between him and Lucas. Instead of stretching, which was what they had intended to do when they took a seat on the floor, they both sat with their legs stretched out in front of them engaged in conversation. Yuri smiled a little at the Italian that came from Asya’s mouth before responding.

“Look, I don’t know a lick of Italian but I know a death threat when I hear it.” Yuri was smirking at her from behind his water bottle.  
“Sorry, Yuri I just…” Asya sighed as she returned back to English.  
“I don’t know what else to say other than I’m sorry that he did that to you.” Asya glanced at him from where she sat apologetically. Yuri shook his head dismissively.  
“Look what he did...Unforgivable. But, I haven’t been that great of a person either.” Yuri was stuck between either being more angry at Lucas or disappointed in himself for the last flurry of a week. Maybe it was both of their faults, equally, but Yuri needed time to mull the entire situation over. Including the advice he had received the day before.  
“Instead of ruining what you had with being nosy, he should have just asked if he was curious about something. Feelings are a complicated thing Yuri, I don’t fault you for them.” Asya explained how she felt about the situation. Yuri knew she was right but there was something about the fact that he always had feelings for Otabek but still couldn’t help himself when it came to Lucas. If he shouldn’t fault himself for being human than he shouldn’t do that to Lucas either.

“What about this other guy anyways?” Asya’s tone wasn’t accusatory, more curious about a topic of conversation. Something that Yuri once wondered as to why she wasn’t more into when it was between him and Lucas. Yuri bit his cheek as the tug of a smile pulled on his lips at the thought of, ‘This other guy’.  
“Otabek.” Yuri said with a smile as Asya couldn’t help but smile back at the sight of it.  
“How come you never told me about him?” Asya feigned hurt, Yuri could tell from the fake frown she had on her face as she held her hand to her heart.  
“It just never came up.” Yuri laughed a bit as he tried to shrug it off.  
“Oh come on, now you have to tell me everything.” Asya brought her knees up near her face, close enough so she could rest her arms and chin on them, taking a ‘Ready to listen for hours’ type of pose. Yuri just shook his head with a laugh before giving her only a tiny bit of information. He divulged her with the knowledge of the fact that they met through skating and had been friends for a few years now. He brought up a picture on his phone he had taken of them at a skating event, one which Asya recognized immediately from scavenging his Instagram account long ago.  
“Yuri you’ve had this ace up your sleeve this whole time?” Asya was smiling as Yuri scrolled through pictures with her, some not posted to any social media accounts. Yuri blushed and shrugged in response.  
“You’ll have to meet him when he visits.” Yuri nodded slightly, hoping that the visit would be sooner than later - that is if it was still even going to happen at all.

The pair had only texted very little since their skype call the morning before. Yuri didn’t really know what to say, other than apologizing for the millionth time. He wanted to settle things with Lucas before even delving into his complex feelings for his best friend. But before he could settle things with Lucas, he wanted to run through the many variations of the conversation he needed to have with him. He wanted to be as prepared as possible for something he had no idea how to be ready for. Plus he wanted to let off as much steam as possible before even coming face to face with Lucas. Because if he didn’t and decided to push himself into this important conversation, his prepping would be meaningless when it came to his emotions dictating him instead.

Otabek on the other hand needed some time to sort his thoughts out himself. He had confessed he had been flirting maybe more than once with Yuri after all. Distance between the two was better for his mind at the moment, considering he had the whole Lucas situation to digest as well. Otabek had some select words for someone like him, specifically after making Yuri upset. But he tried not to waste his energy in anger and more in his plan of action he intended on going through with before the end of summer. His focus and determination was what drove him most of his life and he was not about to let up, especially when it came to his feelings for Yuri.

“I think we should run through what you were showing me the other day. I thought it was really good.” Asya stood up as she went over to where her phone sat next to the radio to search for a song. Yuri grumbled a bit under his breath. He didn’t think it was that good of a routine to begin with, something he threw together in a whim one night in his room when he couldn’t exactly fall asleep. Still he stood and stretched out tall, standing on his tiptoes for a moment as Asya started the song. His routine didn’t start for a minute in but he still moved with the music. Asya came to stand next to him, doing the same as they waited for the second verse.

As they both started to move into the beginning of [his routine](https://youtu.be/pgEiApMYCsk), he tried not to focus much on himself in the mirror. That was the next step he wanted to take with his dancing, to concentrate on the music and how it made him move rather than watch himself do the motions. The idea was definitely easier with something he choreographed because that came from the heart to begin with.  
While his routine wasn’t too difficult to follow along with or even learn, he was definitely proud of the subtle movements he added in. The kind of movements that you could miss if you weren’t paying too much attention: small flicks of the wrist, fingers curling in sync, slight knee jerks in time with the bass line. As his routine was finishing at start of the 3rd verse he saw Asya smiling at him in the mirror. He couldn’t help but smile back as she went over to pause the music. 

“I wasn’t lying when I said that was good. Like really good. Like why are you still taking classes and not teaching them good.” Asya pulled out the bun from on top of her head and re-tied it as she spoke. Yuri caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and wondered if his cheeks were pink because of the compliment or because of the exertion. He laughed lightly as he ran his fingers through the pony tail he he had his hair in.

“Maybe some day.” Was all Yuri could offer in the idea of one day ever teaching a class. Asya just nodded in agreement, silently hoping she’d be around for that day.  
“Hey before we head out, can we run through what we practiced last week?” She asked him as she waited a moment for his answer. He just nodded enthusiastically as she went to her phone to switch songs.  
The [routine](https://youtu.be/Kl5B6MBAntI?t=2m37s) was one of Yuri’s favorites thus far because it was the first he felt comfortable doing a bit of improv dancing to that meshed well with what she did. She even encouraged it when it initially happened, his body kind of just doing its own thing when they practiced the week before. When the song started, Asya hustled back to the center of the room before counting up into the first movement. Yuri was right along with her as the lyrics kicked in. He noticed right away that their chemistry harmonized even better today than it had any previous. They barely looked in the mirror at their own movements as they simply danced with each other instead. Both were smiling as they played off of each other’s movements. The routine ended with both laughing as Asya slowly made her way to stop the song.

“We have to record that one day.” She said simply as she made her way across the room to grab her water bottle. Yuri agreed with a nod and a smile. They finally made their way out of the studio, bags slung over their shoulder.  
Asya offered to give Yuri a ride home, which he accepted with a pleasant shrug. She hadn’t been to his place as of yet so he gave her directions every now and then. Before he got out of the car, Asya asked him a question.

“Hey tomorrow night, do you might if I stop by just to hang out? I’m imagining you won’t go to Lucas’s class and I really don’t want to either.” Asya said with a small smirk as Yuri didn’t even think about the fact that he wouldn’t be attending his classes any longer. For a brief second he thought maybe the action would be childish, but then realized he didn’t care. He didn’t owe Lucas anything, other than maybe a simple explanation as to why he didn’t want to see him anymore. Even then, that would be a courtesy.  
“Yeah, that sounds fun.” Yuri finally answered her with a smirk on his own face. She smiled brightly at him before they said their goodbyes and he made his way inside. 

Yuri wasn’t much for checking his mail since anything important usually went straight to his email. So on the off chance that he finally checked it after weeks of not doing so, he found a personal handwritten letter from none other than Lilia. He didn’t find a date or postage and realized it must have been hand delivered. He waited until he got to his room to open it. A key fell out before he even had a chance to read the letter. 

_Yuri,  
I heard from a little bird that you have started taking dance classes. I’m proud of you for expanding your dancing world a bit more than what I was capable of teaching you. But I’m disappointed that you didn’t come to me for studio recommendations._

_Have you ever thought about why you’re able to live where you do without owing me anything (other than medals)? I own that entire building. Where you’re staying was actually my first place I lived by myself. I bought it on a nostalgic whim when I had the money to._

_That building also houses one of the first dance studios I practiced in as an adult. This key is to the studio that no longer hosts public classes. I try to take advantage of it every now and then for private sessions, but I think you’ll make better use of it._

_The only thanks I’ll accept is seeing your newfound skills translate on the ice. You’ve always been capable of pushing yourself to the limit and I am excited to see your new transformation this upcoming season._

_Lilia_

Yuri almost started crying from the very unexpected letter and gift. On the back there was a small explanation of where the door to the studio even was. While there was a public entrance from the outside, up a set of winding stairs on the side of the building, there was also a way from inside. What he always assumed was just a set of stairs to get up to the roof of the building actually led to a door into a long forgotten studio. He almost stumbled over himself, making his way up the stairs and unlocking the door.  
[The studio](https://media.licdn.com/media/p/4/005/0ad/154/13f4013.png) was dark and musty smelling. Yuri palmed around on the wall next to the door for the light switch. Once he found them and ignited the lights that hadn’t been on for God knows how long at this point, he gasped at the sight. While there was some visible dust on the mirrors and yellowing cloth over the windows that could easily be taken down, it was still a gorgeous room. The ceilings were elevated, with long dark wooden beams that seemed more for the look than to actually support anything. The room was a perfect square, the walls being wide as they were long.  
Yuri slowly made his way across the studio and stood in front of one of the windows. He tugged at the material hanging over it which easily came falling down, almost on top of him. It had only been kept up by being folded over a bar that was at the top of the window. He pulled off the rest of the material from the other two windows and kicked the cloth all the way next to the entrance of the room. The natural light made the room significantly more brighter, thus more beautiful. He pulled out his phone to snap a picture to send to Asya.

**_Y: Look what I found ;)_ **

The response from her was almost instantaneous.

**_A: WTF, found ?? :O_ **

**_Y: Kind of a weird story but let’s just say I now have my own personal studio :)_ **

He would have to later explain to Asya who Lilia was. But for now he opted to clean the studio to pass the time. Once he trashed the old sheets that had covered the windows, he grabbed all the cleaning supplies he thought he would need. He found what looked like a newly updated sound system in the corner of the room next to the windows and hooked up his phone before putting all of his favorite stations on shuffle. He first started dusting the windows and the mirrors before he moved on to sweeping the floor. He did his best to reach any noticeable cobwebs with the brush side of the broom but his height failed him to get much farther past the large windows. As he was sweeping up a small dirt pile into a dustpan, suddenly a song almost had him drop the broom he had in his other hand. He had been listening to it for at least a minute before he realized how nice and dance-able it sounded. He hurriedly finished sweeping, dumping the contents of the dustpan into a garbage bag before looking at what the song was on his phone. As it ended he hit replay before moving to the center of the room and experimented more with his dancing style.

He didn’t stop dancing to this one song in particular until his body ached and his stomach was yelling at him to eat something, anything since he hadn’t since he left for the day. By that time the sun was facing the open windows, sunset colors of oranges and yellows trickling onto the light gray of the floors. Yuri wasn’t sure how the room could get anymore perfect but the view from the second story he was on didn’t disappoint. After grabbing his phone from a small corner table it rested on, he sat on the floor with a sigh of content and watched the sun slowly descend. He took a picture of the dusk through the window before pulling up his messaging app. He bit his lip as he wrote out the text he had in mind to send along with his picture.

**_Y: Wish you were here._ **

Yuri smiled at how fast the message was read, and waited longingly for the reply back.

**_O: Soon. Where even is your ‘Here’?_ **

Yuri laughed at the question and bit his lip again, this time in thought. He opened his front facing camera and brought a finger to his mouth in a, ‘Shh’ pose. He made sure to angle the camera so that you couldn’t really make out the background. You could only tell it was a fairly empty room. For a moment he hesitated to take a picture as he noticed how he looked - visibly sweaty, with messy hair and a disgustingly pink face. But the sunshine glowed in his irises and he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to maybe slightly flirt back with Otabek. Even after all these weeks later. He sent the picture with a smirk and another short text.

**_Y: It’s a secret until you visit._ **

Otabek’s breath hitched as he opened the picture bigger on his phone. It had been a long while since he’d been sent a personal picture of Yuri, most of them posted on social media. While he enjoyed those all the same, this one seemed different. A secret almost, like wherever the place Yuri was. The sun somehow accented Yuri’s face perfectly, making him ethereal looking. His golden hair color was reflected in his gem eyes from the sunlight. Otabek swore he could see some freckles that would definitely become more evident if Yuri spent more time in the summer sun. His heart thumped loudly at the simple picture of just Yuri’s face. He huffed out some air as he tried to think of a response back.

**_O: Can’t wait._ **

Yuri blushed as he couldn’t stop his grin. He knew Otabek wasn’t just meaning learning about the ‘Secret’ room, which meant he couldn’t wait to visit him personally. Yuri sent a two word text back and buried his face in his hands as it burned hot with embarrassment.

**_Y: Me neither._ **

~~~

Yuri opened the studio door the next day for an overly energized Asya. She barely managed to throw her bag down as she ran across the room to the big open windows. She stared in awe down at the street below her. The sun was setting yet again which made the room look just as magical as it did the day before. She turned around towards Yuri with a smile on her face as he stood next to the door with his arms crossed and a smile of his own.

“Oh _Yuri_...” The way she drew out the syllables in his name reminded him of how Victor said Yuuri’s name, and laughed at the thought. She stood in front of the window and looked around the room, both of her hands at her mouth to hide the fact that it was open in pure amazement. Her eyes finally landed on the sound system that was right next to her and she almost jumped in excitement.

“You inspired me to choreograph something new.” Asya said with a grin as she hastily shed off her light jacket and started to plug her phone in.  
“Something new?” Yuri thought everything she showed him was new. But then again, it was definitely new to him.  
“I haven’t came up with a fresh routine in a while. Everything I teach you, I brought with me to Russia.” Asya was busy shuffling through music on her phone as she spoke. Then the first part of her original statement hit him suddenly.  
“Wait, _I_ inspired _you_?” Yuri’s brows furrowed in confusion. He was definitely not used to hearing that. Asya just laughed with a nod as she pointed towards the floor in front of the glass, signaling for him to sit his ass down. Yuri did as he was silently told and sat with his knees up near his face, resting his arms over them. Asya gave him a small grin before hitting play on the music. She danced her way to the center of the room enthusiastically before [her routine](https://youtu.be/dOdRdEyd4g0) started shortly after.

It was barely a minute long but Yuri could tell the difference between what she taught him versus what she was showing him now. He thought her movements were more expressive, and caught her smiling way more than she used to. As if she was enjoying dancing by herself just as much as she did dancing with other people. Which was completely opposite of his first impression of her dancing. He thought she liked dancing better with other people. But this was definitely improvement, confidence radiating in everything she was doing. Asya spun around in a circle with a laugh as she finished, before going and turning off the music.

“So what did you think?” She asked Yuri, still trying to catch her breath.  
“I think...You really like Nicki Minaj.” He definitely took note that this was the 2nd song from the same artist she had danced to. She laughed loudly, not expecting that response.  
“Honestly...No offense to anything you’ve showed me before this, but hands down it’s probably my favorite of yours. It definitely screams, ‘Asya’.” Yuri tried to put his thoughts into words. He liked everything she taught him, but the way she seemed much livelier as she danced in this one is what made Yuri like it better.  
“You make me really happy, Yuri. I don’t think I’ve ever been happier teaching while at the same time learning from someone else. I tried to encapsulate that, in this.” Asya’s smile was almost as bright as the setting sun. She looked down from where she was standing next to her phone, to where Yuri sat on the ground. He was at a loss for words. He didn’t realize how much he had impacted her. He stood slowly, and made his way over to her. She quirked an eyebrow as she still waited for a reply. The only response he could think of was grabbing her into a hug. 

“You make me happy too Asya. You make everyone you come into contact with happy, I don’t think you even realize that.” Yuri’s voice was quiet as his mouth was close to her ear due to the hug. He lingered in the hug a few more moments before pulling back to look at her. He could have sworn he saw water in her eyes, but saw she had a huge grin on her face that told him if anything, they were happy tears.

“Let me show you this dance.” She cleared her throat as she broke away from his grip and moved to the middle of the room. He only smiled at the idea he had possibly moved her to tears as he followed her to the middle of the room. He put his hair up in a messy bun before Asya started showing him the beginning step sequence.

They got to a point later in the night where Asya kept replaying the first 20 seconds of the song until Yuri memorized that much of the sequence at that speed. After approximately the 9th time, they both looked at each other confusedly as some buzzing came over the speakers. Asya hurried to turn off the music and unplug her phone, thinking it was suddenly the device acting up somehow. But after a few moments, the sound happened again and Yuri suddenly realized it sounded like a doorbell buzzing. It was hooked up to the speaker system so it could be heard in the middle of a class, through the music.

“Doorbell.” Yuri mentioned to Asya who still looked puzzled at the sound. Her mouth opened in an ‘Oh’ without the sound escaping her as she put it together with the simple word.  
“Might be the neighbors or something.” Yuri didn’t even think about the fact that the music might be loud enough that people out on the street could hear it, even through the brick walls and closed windows.  
“I’ll be back.” Yuri grabbed at a towel he had handy and wiped down his face before walking downstairs. 

He threw it over one of his shoulders as he was readying to unlock the front door of the building. He prepared himself to apologize to either a nearby resident or even a police officer as he swung the door open. But instead he almost choked on air as Lucas stood on his front porch. The last person he expected to be there was him. He would have even guessed Otabek before Lucas at this point.  
The way they were standing there staring at each other made him think about the first time he had gawked at Lucas. How he couldn’t say a goddamn word because the thoughts of how attractive he was clouded his mind. This time he was speechless because he was severely caught off guard by his presence. His mind raced to say something, anything but every time he opened his mouth nothing came out. Suddenly he heard footsteps coming down the stairs behind him.

“We’re so sorry for the-.” Asya cut off her own sentence as she finally reached the bottom of the stairs and noticed who it was. She had just figured out what Yuri meant when he said it might be the neighbors. She put two and two together that Yuri could be dealing with someone angry about the noise. But instead she felt anger flare up in herself at the sight of Lucas. She had actively avoided him over the past 24 hours after learning what had happened.

“How could you even-.”  
“Asya.” Yuri cut off her sentence before she could finish. The last thing he wanted to do was break up an argument between the both of them before he could even get a word in. Lucas bit his lip before speaking quietly.  
“Can I come in?” He looked as if he was prepared for the answer no, as much as the answer yes. Asya scoffed behind Yuri.  
“If you think for one-.” Asya started as she folded her arms, but Yuri again cut her off.  
“Yes.” Yuri saw Asya out of his peripherals step to his side to look at his expression. Her hand softly touched his shoulder.  
“Yuri you don’t-”  
“I know.” Yuri was starting to get apologetic at cutting off her sentences this entire time, but knew where she was going with this one.  
“Could you give us a minute?” Yuri asked her quietly as he glanced at her. She looked uneasy about the entire situation.  
“I’ll be fine.” He told her reassuringly. She bit her lip as she leaned to whisper in his ear.  
“Yeah but will he be?” She had a slight smirk as she pulled away. Yuri realized she meant it in a, ‘I’m only worried you’ll get blood on your hands’ type of question. He couldn’t help scoff into a laugh. She patted his shoulder lightly and brushed her way past Lucas.  
“I’ll be back.” She threw over her shoulder as she walked away down the street. The boys stood there for a moment and watched her as she disappeared around a street corner. Lucas turned back around with a sigh as Yuri stepped away from the door to let him in. He walked in slowly, taking in the entryway to the building Yuri resided in. He glanced at Yuri for a moment before speaking again.  
“Why are you all sweaty?” 

Yuri smirked and nodded his head up the stairs, before slowly climbing them. Lucas followed behind him curiously. The sun had already set, but it didn’t make the room any less beautiful. The soft yellow lights overhead were it’s only illumination but it was all it needed.

“I didn’t realize you had this here.” Lucas told him quietly as he walked towards the window.  
“Yeah I didn’t either until yesterday.” Lucas turned back, silently asking for a better explanation. Yuri explained the letter he received from Lilia, and who she was to him. He stood at the window, seemingly deep in thought as he listened. There was a weighty silence between them before Yuri asked him a question he had at the back of his throat since he saw him.

“So what are you even doing here?” With the question Lucas leaned forward on the ballet barre that was attached to the wall. He took a moment to respond, still staring out the window.  
“I’m here to apologize. Again.” Lucas turned to look at him softly before continuing.  
“What I did it’s…” Lucas trailed off as he tried to find the right word.  
“Unforgivable.” They both said the word at the same time. Lucas laughed a bit at the coincidence.  
“I was really mad at you.” Yuri nodded to himself as he thought back on the anger that had coursed through him. How that coupled with other emotions made him feel overwhelmed to the point of crying. Twice in one day.  
“Was.” Lucas didn’t call out his wording in a question. He knew it signified an upcoming explanation. Yuri sighed as he made his way towards the front of the mirror wall and leaned his back against it.

“You were right.” Lucas turned further towards him, now leaning back on the barre.  
“I’ve always known how I felt about Otabek but I just...Didn’t understand how to deal with those feelings. I still don’t really know.” Yuri kicked a bit at the floor, trying to explain how he had in his own head a million times for this situation. Lucas was still quiet.  
“I know what I shouldn’t do at the very least. To not lead you on.” Yuri glanced at Lucas to read his face.  
“It’s a little too late for that.” His voice was low, and Yuri could tell his frustration from it. Yuri’s eyes narrowed as he felt a too harsh sentence on the tip of his tongue but bit it back. His main concern was keeping as much of a leveled head in this as he could.  
“You’ve been projecting what you wanted with someone else this entire time…” Lucas brought a hand to run through his hair as it seemed he finally put everything together.  
“That’s why there’s always been weird moments between us that I could never understand. Ever since Piterlend.” Lucas was voicing the clues that were there at the start of whatever they were. Yuri should have realized his sudden outburst at the restaurant meant to not pursue Lucas in any way but he did. They stood there glancing at each other as they both silently recalled the moments at the movie theater and the text tone that had ended their brief makeout session on his front steps right outside.

“Lucas I just-”  
“Yuri, you don’t even know what that feels like.” Lucas had an appalled look on his face.  
“Oh don’t you fucking stand there and pretend you wanted to be with me for more than the reasons you get with other people.” Yuri couldn’t hold his tongue for a moment, as he unleashed one too honest thought with him.  
“It’s almost sad you know nothing about me Yuri.” Lucas’s voice was quiet but still held anger.  
“I only sleep with people who want that. It’s not the sole reason I get with anyone.”  
“So you would have been fine if I never wanted to sleep with you before you left?” Yuri crossed his arms.  
“Yes.” Yuri shook his head slightly as he scoffed.  
“I know I was under the influence when I said it Yuri but I wasn’t lying when I said you were different from anyone else I’ve been with while here.” Lucas moved off the barre now to slightly pace the room. It reminded Yuri of Victor, and his word of advice to not burn bridges. Yuri took a deep breath to center himself before speaking again.

“Look, we both kind of fucked up okay? We were never going to work out in a relationship. You even said it yourself, time is against us. But I’d still like to be friends if you can eventually forgive me.” Yuri watched Lucas’s jaw clench and unclench at his statement.  
“The only one of us who fucked up is you. I was just the idiot who fell for it.” Lucas moved towards the studio door to leave. Suddenly he stopped himself and turned around back towards Yuri.  
“You don’t deserve him, Yuri. You don’t deserve anyone in your life who gives a shit about you.” It hit Yuri harder than he expected. It was like he took his biggest insecurity and threw it in his face just because he could.  
“You’re arrogant, inconsiderate and all you care about is yourself.” Lucas spat. Yuri moved towards him now. He stopped right in front of him, close enough to touch him, before speaking.  
“If that’s how you really feel, you should take a long hard look in the mirror.” Yuri challenged. He’ll take all of Lucas’s anger but he will not be unrightfully insulted by him.  
“You’re shit at apologies. If you’re done, then just leave and don’t come back.” Yuri continued. He wanted the conversation to end as soon as possible. He watched Lucas’s lip twitch before his response fell from his lips.  
“Gladly.” It was almost a whisper as Yuri recalled saying the exact same thing the last time he ended their conversation. Nearly as soon as he said it, he disappeared through the studio door. He heard the door of the building slam from below. 

Yuri balled his fists as he shook for a moment in rage. He closed his eyes as he took a deep breath and sighed loudly, before hearing the door creak open. His eyes snapped up, hoping it wasn’t Lucas again because this time he wouldn’t ask him nicely to leave. Instead he saw Asya standing at the door peeking in. Once she deemed it okay to come in, she held up a bottle of alcohol in one hand and a bag of what Yuri assumed was either more alcohol or mixers in the other. She walked over to Yuri slowly with a slight smile on her face, trying to read his mood.

“I thought this might be needed.” She told him quietly as she stood in front of him. Yuri breathed a shaky laugh before hugging her close to him. He could feel tears sting his eyes but reluctantly blinked them back. He was not going to cry again, not now. Asya gave a hug back as best she could, shifting a bit to reach the arm that held the bag around him. Yuri pulled back and grabbed the bottle of alcohol away from her. He started to open it without even reading what it was.

“Wait, Yuri.” Asya put her hand up to further signal him to _not_ take a swig straight from the bottle, but he did anyways. His face screwed up as his tongue instantly felt numb. He put a hand over his mouth to hold in the alcohol as he forced it to slide down his throat. His eyes started watering again, but this time due to the intensity of the alcohol he severely underestimated. Once he was sure he wouldn’t lose the alcohol he had just consumed if he spoke he looked at Asya who had a surprised look on her face. Maybe due to the fact that he didn’t spit it out.

“Why did you let me do that?” Yuri groaned out his question. She threw her arms up. Yuri only smiled, because he definitely heard her tell him to wait, he just didn’t care at the exact moment. He bit his lip as he looked at the bottle again.  
“Fuck it.” Yuri sighed as he brought the bottle to his lips again. Asya shook her head next to him as she started unpacking what was in the bag. She soon made herself and Yuri a mixed drink in cups she scavenged from Yuri’s cupboards. He reluctantly handed over the bottle and didn’t ask for it back. 

The more time that passed, the more Yuri wanted to dance as the alcohol settled into his bloodstream. Asya of course joined him for a couple hours as they just danced to her shuffled music. For most of the time they didn’t even dance routines, just with each other like lunatics. Eventually they ended up tiring out and sat in front of one of the windows staring out at the night before them. Yuri was already halfway through his second mixed drink, as Asya still milked her first one. She didn’t get the alcohol for her, after all. They sat in mostly silence, quiet music filling the air. Asya laid her head on her folded up knee as she looked to Yuri next to her.

“So are you alright?” She asked him, wondering how he was handling what had happened between him and Lucas. She didn’t hear much because she didn’t want to intrude, but she knew things didn’t end on a good note. Yuri bit the inside of his cheek as he thought about his feelings. The answer was definitely, ‘ _Hell no_ ’ but he wasn’t sure if he wanted to talk about it. He wasn’t exactly upset that whatever it was between him and Lucas ended badly, it was simply just the words he said.

What he said wasn’t just some nonsense insults, it was Yuri’s deepest fears and insecurities coming out in a voice that wasn’t his for once. His mind couldn’t help but think: If Lucas thought any of that, what about anyone else he cared about? He was torn between Lucas’s statements echoing in his mind and trying to not be upset about something as trivial as words. They aren’t meant to hurt this much, especially spoken by someone who didn’t know him at all, but they did. It hurt more than anything he could come up with in his own head. Yuri soon realized Asya was still staring at him expecting an answer. He didn’t want to lie to her.

“Not really, no.” He gave Asya a weak smile. Her own smile fell at the sight.  
“Yuri I’m sorry -” Asya rushed to say, she felt like a horrible friend by not asking earlier. But by the way he didn’t care about the burn of the alcohol gave her the idea that he didn’t want to talk about it immediately. Yuri cut off her apology though.  
“Can you talk about something?” Yuri didn’t want to think about how he hurt. As much as it might help it was the last thing he wanted to think of.  
“Like what?” Asya asked him, realizing he definitely didn’t want to talk about Lucas.  
“Anything. Where do you even live in Italy?” Yuri just wanted to listen to her talk, than talk himself. Asya smiled a bit at the mention of home.

“Well I grew up in Venice, but moved to Milan when I was a teenager. I love both cities equally.” She continued to indulge him in the lists of reasons as to why each city was amazing and beautiful. Her favorite from both of them was the night life and the fact that both truly never slept. Yuri couldn’t help but smile at her explanation of everything.

“What do your parents think of you leaving to study here?” Yuri had been curious since learning about their professions. Did either of them want her to follow them?  
“They encouraged it really. They’ve always taught me to follow my heart which I will always be grateful for. Every time I talk to them they always remind me that if I’m happy, then they are.” Asya couldn’t hide the grin on her face as she spoke about her beloved parents. Yuri could tell she loved them with everything in her being. It reminded him of how he felt about his Grandpa. About how he felt about Victor and Yuuri. Even how he felt about Otabek. With the thought of Otabek he sighed deeply. He tried not to think about him all night, because the last time he was drunk and contacted him it didn’t end so well. But he couldn’t help himself as now the only thing on his mind was him.

“Tell me more about Otabek.” Asya turned more towards him now, rather than the window, readying to listen. Yuri’s cheeks instantly felt hot. Was she reading his mind?  
“He’s one of the most amazing people I know.” Yuri told her as he turned towards her as well.  
“I mean not only is he an ice skater and an amazing one at that, he _DJs_ in his spare time. He rides motorcycles and likes to read. He’s oddly good with kids, as much as animals. He’s sarcastic and funny just as much as he is sweet and nice. Most people think he’s an asshole because he’s quiet and standoffish but he’s...Perfect.” Yuri babbled on about Otabek, before whispering the last word of his sentence. He felt his face go impossible more red at the fact that he couldn’t help himself when it came to talking about him right now. Asya giggled at the sight.

“I need to go to the bathroom.” Yuri stood up hastily, wanting to get away from the embarrassing moment. He hurried out of the room before Asya could protest. He didn’t realize how drunk he truly was until he tried to walk down the stairs. He had to hold on for dear life as he took slow steps downwards. Once he was at the bottom of the steps he continued to struggle as he walked through his apartment to his bathroom. 

After relieving himself, Yuri stripped off most of his clothes other than his underwear and climbed into the bathtub. Heat radiated from his body from the alcohol in in his blood. His hands lazily grabbed at the water nozzles, turning both until it was cold but not ice cold. He let the tub slowly fill as he grabbed for his phone and didn’t hesitate to dial the man he had on his mind. He reluctantly remembered to turn off the water before it started to overflow. The call rang out and lead to Otabek’s voicemail and Yuri just couldn’t help himself.

“Beka! Answer your phone!” Yuri took a moment to look at the time on his phone before returning to leave a message.  
“I know it’s like 4 AM there, but I mean what is sleep anyways? It’s only...Tuesday.” Yuri giggled to himself at the thought of how drunk he was in the middle of the week.  
“I really, _really_ want to talk to you. I need to hear your goddamn voice, even though shit technology doesn’t capture how it sounds in person. Did you know I love the sound it?” Yuri sighed as he thought about that honey soaked voice.  
“I miss you like crazy and we just texted yesterday...Why is that?” Yuri continued asking questions even though there wasn’t a voice answering any of the previous.  
“When you get this, just call me. I don’t care what time it is. I need to talk to you.” He struggled to hit the end call button but once he did, he set his phone on the closed toilet seat lid next to the tub.

Yuri slowly slid his body down into the water, submerging his face underneath for only a few moments. He wiped the water from his eyes and lazy laid his head on the side of the bathtub. He bit his lip and stared at his phone. What could it hurt trying to call one more time? He redialed much easier this time and waited for the call to ring out into his voicemail again. Otabek had barely woken up by the end of the first call and was in the middle of listening to Yuri’s voicemail when he called the second time. Otabek answered with a slight smile.

“Hi Yura.” Otabek said sleepily, turning over onto his back to speak more freely.  
“Beka.” Yura breathed out his name softly, not expecting an actual answer this late.  
“What’s wrong?”  
Yuri bit his lip as he tried to hold sudden tears back at such an innocent question.  
“How do you know something is wrong?” He barely choked out his question as he heard Otabek sigh quietly on the other line.  
“I can hear it in your voice, Yura.” Yuri tried to bring his hand to his mouth hastily to not let a whimper slip but he wasn’t fast enough. How was Otabek so good at reading him without even seeing his face? Did his tone really hold all the pain he felt inside?  
“Please tell me what happened.” Otabek’s jaw clenched as he imagined Yuri crying and the fact that he wasn’t there to help. Yuri struggled for a moment as he rapidly wiped at the tears but gave up once he realized they weren’t going to stop any time soon. He took a deep shaky breath before explaining.

“Things didn’t end that great.” Yuri knew he didn’t need to mention between who. Otabek was smart enough to realize he meant Lucas. Otabek was quiet as he tried to think of what to say.  
“I’m not sad because it’s over, Beka.” He continued to explain and Otabek felt relieved. But it left him further to worry what had transpired between them.  
“Did he...Hurt you?” Otabek couldn’t help himself as the idea of anyone even raising a finger to Yuri made him sit up.  
“I mean not physically, no. He just kind of took everything I hate about myself and threw it in my face which probably hurt just as much.” Yuri tried not to be dramatic, but it’s how he felt.  
“What did he say?” Otabek wanted him to talk about it, now. Not later, not when he felt like it. But in this moment because Otabek needed to tell him how very wrong Lucas was for even thinking it let alone saying it. Yuri took a moment as fresh tears stung his eyes at the thought. He could hear the words echo in his head, matching his own thoughts.

“I don’t deserve you Beka. I never have, and I never will.” Yuri choked out weakly.  
“He was wrong in saying anything like that.” Otabek shook his head.  
“I’ve always thought that, he just voiced it out loud.” Yuri sighed as he wasn’t sure if the wetness on his face was tears or from the water surrounding him anymore.  
“Why would you ever think that?” Otabek’s brows furrowed.  
“You’re fucking perfect! You’re so goddamn nice and sweet and I’m just selfish and give nothing in return.” Yuri put his hand in his head as he realized some of the things Lucas had said was how he was describing himself now.  
“Yura, you’re nothing short of incredible. And then some.” Yuri shook his head furiously but didn’t voice his disagreement. Even though he disagreed, he couldn’t help but smile some at the compliment coming from Otabek.  
“Look, I have a favor to ask of you. But first, how much have you had to drink?” Otabek bit his lip, trying to gauge his level of drunk.  
“I’m lying almost naked in a cold ass bath because my body was on fire. So I’ll let you guesstimate.” Yuri looked around, as if suddenly realizing where he was. Otabek tried to stifle his laughter at the thought.  
“Are you alone?” As if on cue, Asya came knocking on the door wondering what Yuri had been up to this long.

“Yuri are you okay?” Asya slowly opened the door to find Yuri hanging over the side of the tub lazily.  
“Asya! Guess who’s on the phone?” Yuri wiped at the remaining tears on his face as his mood shifted at the sight of her. She quirked an eyebrow until Yuri just shoved the phone towards her.  
“Here meet him.” Yuri started to drain the tub as she took the phone.

“Um, hello?” Asya was hesitant as she brought the phone to her ear.  
“Nice to meet you, Asya. This is Otabek.” Otabek was ready with his introduction. The formality made Asya blush.  
“Same to you - Yuri wait you’re going to slip.” Asya cut herself off mid-sentence and cradled the phone between her shoulder and ear as she went to grab for Yuri who was dripping wet and trying to step out of the tub. He giggled as he slightly fell into Asya. But suddenly his head was rushing at the movements, and his stomach churned.

“Asya…” Yuri could only get her name out before he forced himself to fall to his knees and went for the toilet. His mouth reluctantly reached over the bowl as contents from his stomach came up. 

“Is he okay?” Otabek asked as he heard retching in the background.  
“Maybe not right this second but I think he will be.” Asya softly rubbed Yuri’s back as he continue vomiting into the toilet.  
“Asya can I ask you a favor?” Otabek asked her suddenly as he looked towards his laptop and had an impulsive idea.  
“Yes?” She asked him curiously.  
“Could you stay with him...Until I get there?” Otabek was already typing in his usual airline to purchase the next ticket to St. Petersburg. Asya couldn’t help the grin that spread across her face, even as Yuri continued getting sick beside her.

“Yeah, I could do that for you.” Asya told him quietly as she watched Yuri reach for toilet paper to wipe his mouth off with.  
“I really appreciate it. I’ll be there in a few hours. Don’t tell him though, please.” Otabek started to shuffle off his bed and started hastily packing a duffel. If he was going to make this flight he needed to move his ass.  
“I’ll take care of him for you.” Asya smiled as they said their goodbyes.  
“Wait! What was his favor he needed to ask me?” Yuri asked as he flushed the toilet. He leaned back against the tub as he waited for an answer.  
“Um...He wants you to drink water then go to sleep.” Asya smirked at the lie.  
“Isn’t he amazing?” Yuri grinned up at her. His mood didn’t even seem phased by the fact he had just gotten sick.  
“Yeah, he’s something else. Now come on.” Asya tried to get Yuri to stand but he refused, stating he felt more comfortable on the floor.  
“Alright we’re going to be like that huh…” Asya sighed as she scratched her head. It was going to be a long night.

~~~

Otabek had hustled all the way to the airport and got through security just fine. He was in the midst of trying to settle one more small detail as he waited in line to board the plane.

Yuuri shifted as Victor’s phone on the other side of the bed blared. He was unsure if Victor was able to sleep through his loud ringtone, or if he was ignoring it on purpose. But by the 3rd ring Yuuri just about had it. He leaned over Victor, putting some weight on him purposefully before answering.

“Hi is this Victor?” Otabek asked on the other end, not exactly recognizing the voice that answered.  
“Mm no, this is his _super amazing_ husband who answers his phone. May I ask who’s speaking?” Yuuri nudged Victor beneath him as he still laid over him while talking on the phone.  
“Oh, Yuuri this is Otabek.” Yuuri’s eyes opened a bit at the name.  
“Are you okay?” He asked Otabek as he turned around to his own night stand in search of his glasses.  
“Huh? Oh yeah, everything's alright. I’m just calling to see if either of you would be willing to pick me up from the airport when I arrive there. I know it’s a bit last minute but…” Otabek didn’t have much more of an explanation than that. _‘Yuri needs me’_ seemed a bit too much to profess. Yuuri was about to speak again as Victor’s hand reached out from under the blankets, signaling to be handed the phone. Otabek only heard Japanese being spoken before shuffling.

“Otabek, you do know there are things called taxis, right?” Victor’s voice was soft as he tried to wake himself up a bit. Otabek bit his lip as he felt his cheeks reddening. Because no, his racing mind didn’t think about the convenience of a taxi.  
“That was a joke.” Victor laughed softly at the lack of a response.  
“Oh.” Otabek said softly as he had his plane ticket scanned and still waited to board his flight with hoards of businessmen and women. The only people who normally take this flight this early.  
“Of course I’ll come pick you up. What time?” Victor rubbed at his eyes as he looked at the digital clock on his night stand.  
“The plane should land around 7.” Otabek told him.  
“Alright, I will see you when you land then.” They said their goodbyes. Yuuri laid his head back down on Victor’s chest with a light sigh.

“I wonder what happened.” Yuuri spoke quietly as Victor set an alarm on his phone before putting it back on his night stand.  
“I’ll have to ask when I pick him up.” Victor yawned as he wrapped his arms around Yuuri. They were slowly settling back into sleep before Victor spoke again.  
“You _are_ my super amazing husband.” He said sleepily as Yuuri laughed lightly.  
“I know.” Yuuri’s tone was playful as he looked up at Victor who peeked open an eye to look at him. Yuuri planted a soft kiss on his lips before they fell back into slumber.

Otabek tried to sleep but it was lost on him as his adrenaline ran high. He was not one for being impulsive most days, but for Yuri he’d be anything. He grinned as he listened to his voicemail again as the plane was taking off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like all the routines I added in this chapter! I felt like it has been a while since we've had one so you get three...  
> This chapter concludes the angst so get ready for fluff and more here on out. **Yay ! <3**  
> Please please _please_ tell me what you think! Your comments and interactions with me make me so happy and make writing much more gratifying! *_*  
>  My question this week for you: Did you expect Lilia to be a part of this at all? ;).
> 
> Please validate my existence <3\. **Constructive criticism** is always appreciated.
> 
> [Catch Me On Tumblr](http://lgfuadjj.tumblr.com/)


	9. Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to apologize first and foremost for taking forever to post this chapter. I may be taking two weeks in between posts from here on out. I never realized how hard it would be to write OtaYuri fluff for some reason? I just want it to be perfect because they're worth it. BUT we'll see. If I have a chapter to post I won't hesitate to put it out, I promise :)
> 
> This chapter is currently undergoing a beta read-through but I'm posting it because y'all deserve it. Take note some minor things might change but overall this is more or less the final draft <3.
> 
> P.S: This chapter slightly turns into a song fic (inserting lyrics and what not), but in reality this has always been a song fic (sorry if you're just now realizing, WHOOPS)...

Otabek passed through the airport exit security gate with his duffel bag slung around a shoulder. He was in the midst of dialing Victor to see where he was parked outside but instead he saw the man sitting on a nearby bench. He was in the designated area people sat when they were waiting for their loved ones, which Otabek was not expecting. He slowly walked up to him, Victor noticing his presence and standing. He had his phone cradled in between his shoulder and ear and was holding two lidded cups of what Otabek presumed was coffee. Victor handed him one of the cups as he finished his conversation which was in a language Otabek thought might be Italian.

“Good morning.” Victor smiled as he began to walk towards the parking garage and Otabek followed, taking a sip from the warm cup he was handed. Otabek was surprised that it was his favorite drink order. He wasn’t sure if Victor had somehow found out or was good at guessing but didn’t ask as he happily indulged in the caffeine.

“Thanks for coming to get me.” Otabek finally responded to Victor’s greeting as they reached his car. He placed his bag in the backseat before getting into the front as Victor started it up.  
“It’s no problem. The only payment I ask for is information.” Victor responded with a smirk as he started to back up out of the spot and out towards the street. Otabek nearly choked on the coffee he had in his mouth at the statement. Once he had settled the warm liquid to slide down his throat instead of spewing it, he finally spoke.  
“What kind of information are you looking for?” He bit his lip as he looked to Victor beside him.  
“Oh ya know, just how you’ve been doing, how you feel about Yura and what compelled you to visit on such a short notice. The normal kind of stuff.” Victor had a small smile playing on his face as he mostly paid attention to the road. Otabek opened his mouth to try and say something but when nothing came out he opted to bring the coffee back to his lips to play it off.

“Seriously though, how have you been?” Victor seemed sincere in the question. Otabek speculated that he must somehow have an inkling feeling that Yuri’s latest actions were taking a toll on him. Otabek sighed quietly with a shrug.  
“I’ve been a little up and down lately. But I think being here is a good thing.” He watched outside his window as they started to drive into the city.  
“I hope it is. What made you visit suddenly?” Victor asked as they stopped at a light. He fiddled with the radio some, playing something softly in the background to fill in between their conversation.  
“He called me while drunk earlier this morning.” Otabek thought about how weird time difference was for a moment before continuing.  
“I guess his conversation with Lucas didn’t go as he had hoped.” He clenched his jaw for a moment as he remembered what was said that made Yuri upset.

As they sat at another red light, Victor took a sip from his coffee. Otabek wasn’t sure Victor’s thoughts on Lucas. But if he knew anything that Otabek knew, then he was sure his feelings about it all was in the same vein he felt.

“Is he okay?” Victor asked a little softly as he returned his attention back to the road. Otabek could tell they were close to Yuri’s apartment and he felt his chest tighten a little at the anticipation of seeing him. The question finally settled into Otabek’s head, prompting a response finally.  
“I think he will be.” He smirked as they turned off the main road into a neighborhood. The statement had Victor smiling and a chuckle escaped him.  
“Yeah, I think so too.” The car pulled off the road completely and came to a slow stop.  
“Shame, there wasn’t time to question you on your feelings.” Victor’s grin was wide before he hid it behind his coffee cup. Otabek couldn’t help but smile shyly, being thankful for not having to try and explain himself on that front.  
“Tell him I said hi.” Victor patted Otabek on his shoulder briefly and glanced at the building they were in front of. Otabek took a second to glimpse at it too before getting out and grabbing his bag from the backseat. He took a moment before closing the door to say his thanks.  
“Thanks again, Victor. I’ll remember a taxi next time.” Otabek smiled.  
“It’s alright, truly. Text or call if you guys need anything.” Victor gave a smile back before Otabek closed the door completely. 

Otabek took a moment to himself and stared at the building in front of him as he heard Victor pull away from the curb and back onto the road. He had been here a few times, but never unannounced. He bit his lip as he made his way up the steps and wasn’t sure whether to knock or try the door to see if it was unlocked. But the door suddenly opened up before he could decide and he was face to face with who he knew was Asya. She smiled at him brightly motioning for him to come in and it made Otabek smile back. Once he had stepped inside and the door was closed again they finally spoke.

“Sorry if me opening the door was creepy, Victor told me you guys were on the way.” Asya explained to him softly, and Otabek suddenly put it together that she must have been who Victor was speaking Italian with over the phone.  
“No worries. Thanks for staying and taking care of him, I really appreciate it.” Otabek stuck a hand out for an official greeting. Asya blushed with a laugh as she shook it briefly.  
“It’s no problem. I would have stayed even if you didn’t ask that of me. He seemed like he needed someone around.” Asya’s smile faltered a bit, thinking back at how sad Yuri seemed.  
“You’re more than welcome to stay.” Otabek felt bad about the situation suddenly.  
“Oh, no. Thank you but I like sleeping in my bed preferably. Plus you’re here and I think you’re all that he needs right now.” Asya nodded with her statement. Otabek cleared his throat as his cheeks tinged with heat.  
“So I only managed to get him into a pair of sweats and onto the couch. My height and strength failed me in managing his drunk self.” Asya laughed a little at her struggles before continuing.  
“He’s only been asleep for a couple hours. I made him drink a lot of water beforehand but that might not help with the impending hangover.” Asya ran a hand through her disheveled hair that she had down.  
“I think that’s it really. If you need anything, this is my number.” Asya already had a prewritten sticky note that she handed to him. Otabek accepted it with a smile as Asya went for the door.

“Do you want me to walk you home?” He asked her as she stopped opening the door midway. She laughed slightly before responding.  
“I actually have my car here, but thank you for the offer. You are just as sweet as Yuri describes you to be.” Asya grinned at him.  
“Thank you, for everything. You should know that Yuri values your friendship highly. Almost all he does is talk about us meeting.” This earned a deep blush from Asya.  
“Thank you for telling me that. Good luck.” Asya offered him a small wave as she left through the front door of the building. He locked it behind her before turning towards the door heading into Yuri’s apartment.

He gripped the strap on his duffel bag tightly before he entered the apartment. Once he closed the door quietly and turned towards the open room of the living room, his eyes immediately landed on Yuri. He was wrapped up in a blanket, his long hair askew and covering half of his face. Otabek’s bag slid off his shoulder with a soft thump as he stared. He barely registered his own movements as he walked towards Yuri and kneeled down beside him on the couch. The smile on his face was so wide it was starting to hurt his cheeks. Otabek couldn’t help himself as he brought his hand up and pushed Yuri’s hair out of his face. His thumb lazily brushed across skin and Yuri stirred slightly at the touch.

“Asya stop it.” Yuri breathed quietly and Otabek watched his eyes slide open.

///

Yuri’s eyes stung as he forced himself to open them to glance at the annoyance touching him. If Asya didn’t know he was a menace when he got woken up, she was about to. His vision slowly swirled into focus after blinking a few times. When he realized who was smiling at him his eyes snapped open widely. He opened his mouth a few times willing anything to come out but he was sure he looked dumb as hell just opening and closing his mouth.

“Beka.” He finally squeaked out as Otabek never lost his smile.  
“Yura.” At the sound of his name from that voice he had missed terribly, tears started to sting his eyes. Yuri sat up a bit and reached for Otabek’s shoulder, needing to verify he was actually here in front of him.  
“Why are you here?” He managed to get out in a strangled voice as tears threatened to spill, slightly blurring his vision.  
“Surprise.” Otabek said quietly. Yuri couldn’t contain himself and slightly shook as he began to openly cry. Otabek immediately pulled him into a hug and Yuri continued to cry onto his shoulder. Yuri felt reassuring hands rub his back slowly.

“It’s okay, Yura. I’m here now.” He kept massaging Yuri’s back until he quieted to sniffles. It was a few minutes until Yuri pulled himself back to look Otabek in the eyes again.  
“But why?” Yuri knew he sounded pitiful but he just wanted to know. He watched Otabek bite his lip a moment before responding.  
“Because you needed me.” At this Yuri started crying again immediately. This time Otabek wiped some tears away with his hand, with a pained smile. Instead of hugging him again, he opted to scoop him up. Otabek’s arms looped under his knees and back and picked him up effortlessly. Yuri didn’t even bother being embarrassed by the sudden close contact as he just leaned into Otabek. He wiped furiously at his face as Otabek walked them to the bedroom. Once there, Otabek gently laid Yuri down on the bed and turned to walk away but Yuri hastily grabbed at his shirt. Yuri felt like he had a better grip on handling his tears but he didn’t want Otabek to leave him alone for any reason.

“Please, stay.” Yuri said softly, tugging on his shirt slightly. He wanted his warmth next to him again. Otabek smiled before he briefly crawled over Yuri and settled onto the other side of the bed. Yuri turned and curled into him, clinging onto him still trying to tell his brain he was really there. Otabek laid on his side facing Yuri and ran his hands through his hair, slowly massaging his scalp. They laid like this for a while, with Yuri’s head pushed into Otabek’s chest so they couldn’t exactly see each other’s faces. 

Yuri had relaxed significantly thanks to the comforting hands in his hair. He felt embarrassed about tearing up at the sight of his best friend initially. Let alone actually crying once he heard his voice. Yuri sighed as he slowly pulled his head back to look at Otabek. They were so close their noses were almost touching but neither bothered to move. Yuri was sure his eyes were red and puffy and his face pitiful but Otabek’s soft smile never faltered as they gazed at each other. Yuri mulled over what to say about everything as he watched Otabek’s mouth open to speak.

“You should try and get some sleep.” Yuri laughed a bit at the statement.  
“Says the one who left his time zone and looks jet lagged.” Yuri touched a hand to Otabek’s cheek. He could feel the heat on it as his cheeks tinged pink. Yuri couldn’t do anything else but stare at his lips as he spoke again.  
“Maybe we should both sleep then.” Yuri had thought some about how it might feel to kiss Otabek, but it usually never crossed his mind when he was this close to him. Not when he actually had the opportunity to. Yuri’s brows furrowed a bit at the idea.  
“What’s wrong?” Otabek was soft with his question, seemingly unsure with what was going through Yuri’s mind.  
“A part of me is scared you won’t be here when I wake up.” Yuri wasn’t completely lying. He didn’t think talking about kissing right now was the best idea. Not when they were both running on little sleep and he was easily over emotional.  
“I promise I’ll be right here.” Otabek was quick to respond. Yuri felt him gripping at his back and pulling his body a little closer.  
“As long as you promise, then.” Yuri’s reply was breathy and quiet. He was surprised to see a smile as a response as his eyes slowly closed. Yuri focused on the body that was close to his, noting the hand that softly rubbed small circles at his back until he finally dozed off.

~~~

Yuri was the first to wake between the both of them. He wasn’t sure how late it was but how the sun was filtering through his room he could tell it was at least late afternoon. His back was facing Otabek and soon realized he was practically locked into place by the firm grip the man had around him. He took a moment to accept that his best friend in fact was there with him. Yuri also realized quickly that he didn’t have a shirt on while Otabek did. He silently cursed his drunk self for being an idiot. Yuri tried to lean back but felt Otabek laid up against him, his face more or less buried in his hair. Yuri couldn’t suppress the laugh that bubbled from his chest at the ridiculousness of their proximity. His movements shifted Otabek enough to wake him up.

“What’s so funny?” The sleepy question that fell from his lips made Yuri’s stomach flutter at the sound. How could only his voice do that to him? Yuri sighed happily before responding.  
“You are, of course.” Yuri wiggled a bit until Otabek slightly released his grip for him to turn around. Again, their faces were mere inches apart. The closeness made Yuri blush. Otabek smiled in return.  
“How are you feeling?” Otabek asked, remembering not only was he drunk off his ass maybe 12 or so hours ago, but he had been on an emotional roller coaster ride since yesterday. Really, the past week. Yuri took a moment to himself as he thought about the question in earnest. His head didn’t hurt somehow surprisingly. The water and sleep helped deter that. He only felt happiness and maybe a little bit of hunger.  
“I’ve never been better.” Otabek chuckled a little at the response before nodding in agreement.  
“Do you think the jet lag is out of your system?” Yuri found himself with a hand in Otabek’s hair nonchalantly playing with the mess of it. Yuri usually only saw it tied up and took advantage of the fact that it was down. Otabek quirked an eyebrow at the action but responded to the question instead.  
“I can only hope so, right? It’s already like…” Otabek took a moment to glance at his phone he produced from the head of the bed.  
“It’s honestly dinner time.” Yuri laughed at the statement as he used his hand as a brush and continued to rake it through Otabek’s hair. He marvelled at the softness. Did his own hair feel like this?  
“Want to order in?” Otabek kept the conversation going, and Yuri realized he was getting lost in his feelings. It made his throat dry and his body freeze as he thought about what he was doing. Was all of this okay with Otabek? Would he say if it wasn’t? He watched a flicker of concern pass over Otabek’s eyes.  
“Yura?” He brushed his own hand through Yuri’s hair and the action instantly relaxed him. It let his mind settle with the fact that this intimacy was okay. The idea put a small smile back on his face, which in turn mirrored on Otabek’s again.  
“That sounds good.” Yuri finally answered and prompted them to slowly get out of bed, even if neither truly wanted to untangle from each other.

~~~

By the time they had decided on what to order and where to order from, the sun was on its way to setting. As Otabek held their bag of delivered food, Yuri pulled on his hand and led him upstairs to the studio. If he was going to show him the ‘secret’ room, this was the best time to. Otabek’s eyebrows went up in surprise at the sight of the studio and Yuri grinned almost child-like at the reaction. He giggled a bit as he bounced his way over to the window he had sat in front of for the picture he sent to Otabek and just pointed silently. He looked back at Otabek who was still standing next to the door with a small smile playing on his face. Otabek nodded in acknowledgement of the fact that he realized this was _the room_. This satisfied Yuri and he turned back around to face the window. He leaned forward on the ballet barre, his hands gripping around it as he stared outside yet again. He wasn’t sure when he would get tired of the view.

Yuri heard some shuffling behind him and he imagined Otabek possibly setting up dinner. But instead he had an inkling feeling that he was standing behind him. Yuri stood up straight and turned around a little hastily and they were suddenly face to face. Yuri wasn’t sure what his initial intention was by the action. When he searched Otabek’s eyes for a possible answer, he seemed a little lost. As if he had no idea either. As Yuri let him gather his thoughts, he finally noticed that they were more or less the exact same height. Give or take a few centimeters, but he wasn’t too concerned with the exact numbers. Yuri tilted his head a bit, in a silent question as they both stared at each other. Again the thought of kissing his best friend crossed his mind. Otabek slowly grabbed at his wrist and pulled him against his chest. Yuri wasn’t sure if he was blushing because of the action or because of his thoughts. Otabek’s breath was hot on his face for a moment and Yuri could see his face flush as well. Otabek started to slowly inch closer to him and Yuri’s eyes fluttered close preparing for their lips to come into contact.

“I missed you.” But what Yuri didn’t anticipate was Otabek’s lips near his ear, whispering as he drew him into a close hug. His eyes opened as his face went impossibly more hot at the fact he had entertained the idea of being kissed. Otabek’s arms wrapped around his shoulders, which Yuri instinctively wrapped his own around his middle. Yuri calmed himself within the other man’s arms. So what if he expected to be kissed and was hugged closely instead? This was just as nice. Finally, Yuri felt like he could respond without squeaking or sounding disappointed.  
“I missed you too.” At the response Otabek pulled back to look at him. Yuri bit his lip as they stared at each other again. Otabek cleared his throat before removing his arms from where they were. Yuri had to suppress a sound of distress before he removed his arms from around his middle.  
“We should eat before it gets cold.” Otabek motioned his head towards the food he had left towards the middle of the room. All Yuri could do was nod and follow him.

Their conversation was more or less normal as they sat across from each other and just talked while they ate. Otabek had mentioned seeing Victor earlier and briefly meeting Asya. Yuri tried to profusely apologize for calling while drunk, yet again but Otabek was very stern with the affirmation that it was all okay. In the end, his phone call was the reason why he was there. Yuri blushed at the fact that he was there because Otabek thought he ‘needed him’. He wasn’t sure how he knew him so well, but he was beyond grateful. Yuri took a moment to smile warmly at Otabek in the middle of a lull of their conversation. Otabek returned the smile, both unknowing of each other’s thoughts. Abruptly, Yuri’s phone started going off with Asya’s name flashing across the screen. Yuri smiled a bit before answering. 

Yuri tried to apologize to her for being a disaster the previous night but her answer was much like Otabek’s on the subject. After a bit of light conversation, it ended with Yuri extending an offer over to his apartment which Asya gladly accepted. The boys took their time in cleaning up their mess from dinner and headed back downstairs before Asya arrived. As Yuri was washing dishes and Otabek was drying what was placed in the rack, the thought crossed his mind that maybe he wouldn’t be comfortable with Asya around.

“You don’t mind that I invited Asya over, right?” Yuri asked as he glanced at Otabek from the corner of his eye. He mostly focused on the dish that was in his hand as he waited for a response.  
“No, why would I mind?” Otabek stopped what he was doing to direct his attention to Yuri who took a moment to finish rinsing a plate and turned off the water.  
“I don’t know, I just don’t want to make you uncomfortable or something. Plus you came all this way to hang out with me, I didn’t want it to be weird if it’s not just us.” Yuri tried to explain himself as he dried his hands off with a towel. The sound of Otabek chuckling drew his attention entirely.  
“I’m not that selfish, to keep you to myself. Even if I want to.” Otabek said the last of his sentence quietly but still held eyes with Yuri who was sure his face went instantly red at the statement. Yuri’s eyebrows wrinkled a bit, wanting to ask for clarification but a knock at the door stopped him from doing so. Yuri yelled for Asya to come in without breaking eye contact, still silently hoping for some kind of explanation. Otabek was the first to look away between them, greeting her as she walked into the kitchen. When he looked back to Yuri, his eyebrows rose in his own question to the fact that he was still staring. Finally Yuri turned around to face Asya who stood at the entrance of the kitchen and greeted her.

“You guys want to watch a movie or something?” Yuri wasn’t sure if he could take more more of staring at Otabek before thinking about kissing him again, so he opted for a distraction. As he looked between Otabek and Asya they both just nodded in agreement and they made their way towards the living room.

But as always when a movie got thrown on, conversation mostly drowned it out. But Yuri didn’t mind as the three of them sat on the couch, with Yuri in the middle. He leaned his back against Otabek’s side and angled a little towards Asya. Otabek had his arm delicately wrapped around Yuri’s lower back. His hand rested at Yuri’s side, softly kneading at the flesh there every now and then. Yuri wasn’t even sure he was doing it on purpose or subconsciously but he didn’t mind the feeling. 

“So I have one more final tomorrow afternoon, then I’m free.” Asya grinned as Yuri mirrored it.  
“Forever or until next year?” Otabek asked as he glanced at her.  
“For good, actually. Unless I decide to go back to school as a graduate.”  
“Wait you came here to graduate?” Yuri questioned, thinking about Lucas briefly to remember the fact he had said multiple times he had another year to go himself.  
“Well I only had a handful of credits left when I came here. I kind of used it to travel and try and figure shit out. I think I have an idea of what I want to do now, more so than when I was in Italy at least.” Asya shrugged a bit as she fiddled with her long hair at her shoulders.  
“And what’s that?” Otabek kept asking questions that Yuri only asked silently. He nodded as they waited for her answer.  
“I’m thinking that...I want to stay here.” Asya seemed hesitant in her answer. As if she was giving the wrong one. Yuri’s eyes went a little wide.  
“Stay in Russia?” Yuri didn’t even think about that being a possible option. His mind had settled with the fact that she would be leaving before the summer ended.

“Yeah, but I’ll probably go home for a couple weeks before coming back. I like it here though so...I think I could find _something_ to do.” Asya smiled a bit at the thought. Yuri wasn’t even sure what to say, so instead he threw himself at her in a hug. She laughed a bit next to his ear as she returned it.  
“How long have you been planning on this?” He asked her quietly before pulling away. She put both of her hands up in a small shrug.  
“I’ve just been having to think about it since it’s coming up fast. It’s not so much a plan as it is me just following my heart. What I’ve been told to do maybe too many times.” Asya laughed and it caused Yuri to laugh with her.  
“I’m glad you want to stay here.” Yuri nodded as Asya blushed.  
“Yeah maybe with you around, you can help my Yura stay out of trouble.” Yuri bit his lip at the statement from Otabek as he turned around to look at him. The only thing he focused on was the fact that Otabek called him _his_ , intentionally or not.  
“I could attempt to do that sure. But getting in trouble might be unavoidable.” Asya joked with him as he laughed and nodded his head in slight agreement. The conversation went into a momentary comfortable silence as they each focused back on the movie. After a few minutes, Yuri turned his attention to Asya whose gaze landed on Otabek beside him.

“So how long are you going to be staying here?” Asya asked him. Otabek took a moment to realize she was talking to him but soon faced both her and Yuri who looked at him expectantly.  
“Well, if Yura will have me, about a month.” Yuri felt his jaw drop at the length of time.  
“A month?” He questioned with knitted eyebrows. So many questions flooded his mind.  
“Well like I said, if you’ll have me.” Otabek was quiet as he said this, as if it was only meant for him to hear.  
“What about training?” Yuri was ecstatic as much as he was concerned for his best friend. While yes, having him here for any amount of time was ideal, a month was a long time to take off completely from their sport. Especially with the start of a new season hot on their heels.  
“I have that figured out.” Otabek grabbed for Yuri’s hand almost absentmindedly it seemed. He squeezed gently, which Yuri took as a silent statement to trust him.  
“Of course _i’ll have you_. Idiot.” Yuri was playful in his response as it earned a laugh from both Otabek and Asya.  
“Cute. That will be fun.” Asya had her knee pulled up underneath her chin. She dreamily looked between the both of them. Yuri blushed furiously before pushing her slightly to silently tell her to knock it off. She only giggled in response. Yuri glanced at Otabek who had a slight blush on his face. He only smiled at him.

“So I don’t know about you guys but I have no fucking idea what is happening in this movie.” Asya raised both of her arms up and arched her back as she stretched out for a moment.  
“Yeah we should just go up to the studio.” Yuri was half joking but the way Asya lit up made him actually think it might be a good idea.  
“Let me change then.” Yuri felt the need to put on something more comfortable than the sweats and shirt he found himself in. Asya just nodded as Yuri left Otabek and her alone.

Yuri settled on a black crop top and black leggings to match but didn’t even bother with shoes. He put his hair up in a messy bun, pulling at some stray strands to sculpt his face. He smiled at himself in a mirror, content with the way he looked before leaving his bedroom. Immediately he ran into Otabek in the hallway, almost literally. Both jumped and paused their movements as they saw each other. Yuri noticed Otabek’s roaming eyes and blushed but felt satisfied in the fact that he chose a good outfit for it.  
Yuri couldn’t help the smirk on his face as Otabek’s eyes finally met with his own. He chuckled a bit as he walked closer to Otabek with the intention to walk past him. But suddenly he had the bold idea of wrapping his arms around Otabek, arms thrown over his shoulders. If he could do it, why couldn’t Yuri? Instead of embracing him into an intimate hug, Yuri just held their faces inches apart. Yuri bit his own lip as he felt Otabek’s hands slowly brush over his lower back and rest there, holding him.

“Like what you see?” Yuri wasn’t sure what made him say what he did, but liked the way Otabek flushed because of it. The pink even reached his ears, something he rarely saw if ever.  
“Yes.” Otabek’s voice was unsteady even with the one syllable response, but his body felt calm. Yuri realized he was definitely figuring out this flirting business. Otabek cleared his throat after a few long seconds of them gazing at each other.  
“I’m going to change. Asya already went up.” Yuri smiled with a nod and released his grip. Otabek seemed reluctant to do the same as his hands lazily scraped against flesh.  
“I’ll see you up there then.” Yuri slowly backed away, without losing his smile. When he finally turned around to make his way upstairs he let out a puff of air, not truly believing the exchange they just had. Yuri felt giddy and noticeably so as he bounced his way up the stairs and into the studio. He heard Asya giggle at him from across the room before he looked up at her.

“Did you guys kiss or what?” She smiled innocently as she stood next to the music system. Yuri tried to hide his blushing face at the question.  
“Not as of yet.” Yuri looked between his fingers at Asya’s reaction, which was to look at him with an open mouth in surprise.  
“Yuri you do know how he looks at you right? God, even how he _touches_ you. His yearning is making  me fall in love.” Asya left her phone plugged into stereo, but not playing music as she walked over towards Yuri. She leaned her head to the side and balled both of her fists underneath her chin. She batted her eyelashes and it made Yuri push her yet again, playfully.  
“Seriously though, if you guys don’t kiss soon i’m going to riot. You’ll also make Victor upset.” Somehow they ended up play hitting each other as they stood in the middle of the studio. Their movements were slow and lazy as they spoke, their hands just clapping against each other’s.  
“Oh yeah, I don’t want to make him upset. That’s definitely gonna force me to kiss Beka.” Yuri was overtly sarcastic and it made Asya laugh loudly. 

Suddenly someone clearing their throat near the door made them break apart as if they were doing something wrong. Asya all but scrambled back to her phone, opting to shuffle through music with a small smile on her face. Yuri turned to Otabek at the door and felt himself eyeing him just like he was in the hallway. He had on a dark gray muscle shirt and black sports type sweats. He’d seen him in these types of clothes plenty but for some reason his heart almost exploded in his chest at the sight. His hair was down but slicked back out of his face and Yuri felt the urge to run his hands through it but stood still in the middle of the room and just stared instead. Otabek smiled with a blush as he put his hands in his pockets and slowly made his way to the front of the room with the mirror wall. He leaned his back against it as he grinned at Yuri, who still stared 

“You dance too?” Asya’s question brought Yuri out of his gawking to look at her. Otabek chuckled a bit before answering.  
“Not usually, no.”  
“Do you want us to show you some stuff?” She had an excited lilt in her voice at the potential idea.  
“I think I’ll just watch for now.” Otabek smiled at her and glanced at Yuri briefly before taking a seat on the ground.  
“Well if you want to join, let us know.” Asya almost sang as she turned to Yuri. She started bouncing a bit with excitement as an idea came over her.  
“We should record some of our routines.” She almost whispered as Yuri laughed at her. He turned to Otabek who was sitting patiently.  
“How do you feel about your filming skills?”

Otabek moved to the middle of the room, standing in front of both Yuri and Asya and practicing his recording technique on Yuri’s phone. He had informed Yuri he had seen a handful of choreography videos and knew how to film them, even though Yuri insisted he could just sit in the middle of the room if he wanted. Yuri thought it was cute how serious he was taking the ‘job’, as him and Asya ran through the routines they wanted to record. Otabek bit his lip in concentration as he recorded a warmup. Yuri couldn’t help but giggle at the sight, earning a glance from Otabek. His shy smile made Yuri forget the next step in his own routine, but his slight trip up only made it seem like he misstepped. Yuri just silently hoped Otabek didn’t catch on that his smile did that to him. 

Overall Yuri and Asya agreed to film only three routines just to start out. The [first one](https://youtu.be/4pfloxVMJGw?t=2s) they filmed was the one they had put together - namely Yuri’s first taste into choreography. He almost laughed at how beginner it really was, compared to where he was now but still liked it mostly because it was his and Asya’s joint choreography. They recorded it a handful of times before Yuri stood next to Otabek, slightly resting his head on his shoulder and watched their latest take. He grinned at the camera work but also at seeing him and Asya finally being recorded like they had talked about so many times.

Next Asya talked Yuri into recording [the routine](https://youtu.be/pgEiApMYCsk) that he made by himself recently. He still didn’t think it was all that great but he also liked the idea of showing off a bit, specifically in front of Otabek.

“Remind me after we get done recording to show you a song and a new routine I made.” Yuri turned to Asya beside him as the beginning of the song played in, and they waited for the second verse. He had almost forgotten the most perfect song he heard the day previous and needed to share it with someone who would agree equally. All she did was grin and nod before they stood in place to be recorded. Yuri motioned to Otabek with a simple thumbs up indicating to start recording soon. He tried to stop the grin that spread on his face when he got one in return. He was sure the lingering smile showed up in the recording before he focused on what he was doing. This time, Otabek was satisfied with only recording it twice. Yuri rested his now sweaty head on his shoulder as he watched. Otabek didn’t seem to mind though, Yuri noted.

“I’m sorry but it’s really fucking hot in here.” Asya took a moment to apologize before she stripped off her sweaty shirt which left her in just a black sports bra. But both boys only shrugged at the action, Yuri agreeing that it was hot. 

Lastly, Asya and Yuri both emphatically agreed that they needed to record [the routine](https://youtu.be/Kl5B6MBAntI?t=2m37s) of hers that he felt most comfortable with. They both just hoped it still had that spark like it did when they practiced it the other day. Otabek was already recording as Asya ran back into frame after pressing play on the music. Yuri watched Asya beside him as they both counted into their steps as the lyrics started. Again, he immediately knew they were on the same wavelength as they both watched each other instead of themselves in the mirror. Yuri only bothered to look up at Otabek filming as they were finishing their routine. He was thankful he didn’t have another step to remember because the way Otabek was smirking at him made him lose complete thought.

“I think that’s a wrap.” Otabek continued to smirk as Asya went over to pause the music.  
“Only one take?” She turned her head in question and glanced at Yuri to confirm she had heard him right.  
“I think once you see what I do, you’ll know why.” Otabek held his arms out a little and motioned his head to signal for them to come watch. Yuri couldn’t help himself as he casually stood behind Otabek and wrapped both arms around his waist. He learned his chin on his shoulder to see the screen. He wished he could see Otabek’s face but the way his body leaned against his gave him the idea that he liked the touch just as much. Otabek pressed play for them as Asya leaned over his arm to watch.

“One is definitely enough.” Asya nodded, barely halfway through the video. It was perfect, and Yuri couldn’t agree more. They watched with happy tired smiles on their faces until the video was over.  
“I’m going to die for a second right here…” Asya started as she began to lay down on the ground, face first near the mirror wall.  
“But show me your routine, okay?” Yuri could hear the smile through her voice as she rested on the ground. He laughed at her a bit before finally releasing Otabek from his grip and reached for his phone.  
“Thanks for recording these.” He stood in front of Otabek now with a warm smile, phone in hand. He returned the smile with a nod.  
“That second one was your routine?” The innocent question made Yuri’s ears burn from embarrassment. All he could do was move his head in agreement. He watched Otabek bite his lip, possibly hiding a grin before speaking again.  
“It was really good. All your classes and practice is definitely showing.” Yuri tried to not make it obvious that he was trying to hide his red face, playing it off as wiping away sweat. Once he contained his small freakout enough he thanked Otabek briefly for the compliments and made his way over to the music system. He unplugged Asya’s phone and plugged his own in.

He tried to take deep breathes to calm his sudden nerves. Yuri wasn’t sure how he had just realized, but Otabek was more than just filming him during the routines, he was also _watching_ him intently. The idea made Yuri’s stomach flutter. Dancing was very personal to him in a lot of ways, much like ice skating was. Both showed strength, beauty, and a full range of emotions at any given time. If the dancing wasn’t enough to say what needed to be said, a song with the right lyrics attached worked just as well. Yuri smiled to himself as he opened the newfound song that he believed fit very well into his life, specifically these past few weeks. He glanced at Asya who was now sitting at the front of the room, instead of laying down. Otabek sat next to her and they were engaged in a quiet conversation. But Otabek still caught his glance with a look of his own and smiled pleasantly. Yuri turned around quickly, not wanting to show another blush and pressed play on the song.

The version of the song started with a soft piano melody, but demanded attention once it hit the chorus. Yuri was standing in the middle of the room loosening his body back up for a moment while he had the chance. He glanced between Otabek and Asya with a soft smile before he literally jumped to start [the routine](https://youtu.be/xLB2mVYOJ9E) he had worked on for hours the day before. He couldn’t himself from grinning almost the entire time. He knew the lyrics called to him for a reason but couldn’t necessarily place it before his blow out with Lucas. Now, he realized that [the song](https://youtu.be/UKKb3qitix4) he instantly grew fond of when he first heard it matched exactly how he felt. It was one of those songs that you put on repeat after hearing it for the first time until you’re sick of it (and then some). He couldn’t have asked for a more ideal song to randomly pop up on his shuffled music.  
The routine was only about a minute long, but the impact of the lyrics and his style showed in surprise on Asya’s face. Once he slowly went to pause the music once he finished, he heard Asya clapping almost maniacally. 

“ _Yuri_ oh my god.” Both of Asya’s hands clutched her face as she tried to say more.  
“Those moves. Those lyrics. Holy shit. We need to record that. Tonight. Everyone needs to see this!” Every sentence she voiced got somehow louder, before she hastily stood up finding a 2nd wind.  
“Asya it’s like 1 am.” Yuri glanced at the time again before confirming that it was indeed 1:13 am.  
“I don’t give a shit Yuri, I’ll miss my goddamn final if I have to, to learn this and record it with you.” Yuri brought a hand to his face and slowly dragged down, pulling his skin down along with it dramatically. He smiled at her though and she grinned back. He glanced at Otabek to silently ask if he was okay with it. He gave another one of his stomach flipping smiles with a thumbs up.

So, he showed her the steps. It only took an hour until he could turn the music on for them to work together on the speed. It took maybe another hour until they both felt comfortable dancing it together. Asya insisted she wanted to be just as perfect as Yuri was, but he didn’t mind the dancing nor listening to the song on repeat. Every now and then he glanced at Otabek who just patiently watched. Yuri hoped he enjoyed watching as much as he enjoyed dancing for him. Finally, after Asya deemed herself ready she lent Otabek her phone to record this time since Yuri’s was occupied with the song on repeat. Again he recorded a couple videos getting the hang of moving the camera back and forth. Yuri pulled at the hair tie that held up his bun and let his mess of a mane run wild. He waited next to the music system for Otabek’s signal, which again was a thumbs up. Yuri sighed with a content smile before pushing play and walking back into place. Otabek even recorded him walking up and taking a place next to Asya. Yuri held a smile for a moment and glanced at Otabek behind the camera before settling his body once again into the music. 

He decided at a moment's notice that if this was what he showed to the world, he wanted to put as much heart and soul into it that he could muster after dancing for hours. He raised both his arms above his head, with a bend and ran a hand through his hair softly. He looked directly at the camera and stuck his tongue out for a moment before his body started to move. He made a point to barely look at himself in the mirror, and straight at the camera instead. If he didn’t already know the routine well before he showed it to Asya, the practice basically ingrained it in him. His hair flew wildly with every spin and head jerk but he liked the feeling. As his routine was coming to a close, the last step meant to have them end with their backs facing the camera he couldn’t help himself when he turned back around to look at the camera with a wild look on his face. 

Yuri would be lying to himself he said he didn’t think of Lucas while dancing to this song in particular. Not because he missed him in any sense of the word, but because of the opposite. He was determined to move on not only from their dating shit show but also from his friendship. You don’t dance with a person you’re not into (on any level). While Lucas might have taught him some of the basics, Yuri wanted to show him and the entire world that he had the drive to become better. Better than himself and his past actions. Overall if anything he was grateful for Lucas, to help him realize that he needed to work on being straightforward. Also for guiding him straight into the arms of the one person he wanted for a while. Yuri pushed his hair back out of his face, and Otabek was standing in front of him beaming. Suddenly he was embraced in a hug and Yuri tried not to implode in his arms.

“You were amazing.” Otabek whispered so quietly in his ear he wouldn’t have believed he had said it if he didn’t pull away to look at the grin on his face. For the billionth time Yuri wanted to kiss him until they were gasping for air. He almost gathered the courage to, but Asya’s squealing pulled him back into the room. Otabek still had his arms around him as they both turned to her as she watched the video on her phone.

“Yuri this is going to explode and i’m so excited!” She almost shrieked as she physically jumped up and down.  
“I can tell.” Yuri put a hand to massage his ear, fake mocking that she had busted an ear drum. She just rolled her eyes before informing him she had sent the video to him in a text. Then suddenly realization flashed across her face as she eyed the embrace the boys were in. Yuri blushed slightly as Otabek didn’t even budge.  
“Well it’s late…” Asya glanced at her phone in her hand before heading over to grab her shirt she had thrown to the side and her bag. Yuri apologetically excused himself from Otabek’s grasp, telling him he’d be right back. He only nodded with a smile as Asya waved to him and Yuri followed her down the stairs.

“Tell me you’ll post that video soon. Nothing else matters but what we just recorded.” Asya asked of him as they made their way down.  
“Why are you so invested in this one suddenly? All of our other routines were just as good.” Yuri was honestly curious. Did she possibly see what the song meant for him as well? Asya stutter stepped for a moment, as if she didn’t expect the question, but continued walking down until they stood in front of the building exit.  
“Yuri don’t play dumb, you and I both know that it is the perfect _breakup_ song and it works perfectly for your situation at hand. Plus if it’s any indication of how good it actually is, Otabek couldn’t keep his eyes off of you the entire time.” Asya wiggled her eyebrows a bit as it was Yuri’s turn to roll his eyes playfully.  
“Fine, it’ll go up soon. Don’t fail your final tomorrow.” Yuri opened the door for her as she smiled.  
“I could fail and still pass the class, so don’t worry.” She took a few steps out towards the stone steps that lead out to the street but turned around with a sly smile on her face.  
“Don’t fail kissing your best friend. I swear to God Yuri if you’re not on smooching level by the next time I see you -”  
“Okay bye Asya, good luck.” Yuri blushed as he shooed her and closed the door. He only heard her cackling on the other side of the door before hearing her car start up soon after.

He let out a heavy sigh as he leaned his forehead on the door for a moment and closed his eyes. He barely started to notice the ache in his body from dancing for hours on end. It was nothing like how it felt to spend hours on the ice. It was a much nicer dull pain. He smiled to himself as he thought back on what Asya had said. They had definitely been playing this push and pull game since Otabek had arrived. Their flirting skills were at an all time high and while Yuri liked the back and forth, he wanted nothing more than to feel Otabek’s lips on his own. He turned around to head back up the stairs to the studio with a newfound resolve. He was going to kiss Otabek Altin and they were both going to fucking enjoy it.

But when he opened the studio door again he lost all concentration as he watched Otabek standing in the middle of the room, seemingly _dancing_. He would have gotten away with staring a bit longer if the door didn’t slam behind him. Otabek directed his attention swiftly to the door as him and Yuri glanced at each other. Yuri was the first to say something to break the ever-growing tension.

“What’cha doin?” He asked with his head slightly cocked. He saw a blush rise to Otabek’s face, even from across the room. Otabek turned on a heel, his back now facing Yuri as he walked towards the music system.  
“Come, sit.” It wasn’t so much a demand as it was a hopeful request. Yuri felt his feet moving towards where Otabek had pointed at the front of the room before he even comprehended the statement.  
“You didn’t answer me.” Yuri told him softly as he glanced at Otabek’s phone that was hooked up to the music system.  
“If you’re patient, you’ll find out. Now sit.” This time Otabek looked at him fiercely, commanding him to listen this time. Yuri gulped as he did what he was told, sitting with his back against the mirror.  
“You know i’m impatient.” Yuri said matter of factly as he watched Otabek with curiosity.  
“I know.” Otabek’s glance was softer now as a slight smile played on his lips. Yuri watched Otabek bite his lip in a rare look of hesitancy before [a song](https://youtu.be/a59gmGkq_pw) started playing overhead.  
“I haven’t practiced in a bit so, don’t laugh.” Otabek told him over the song as he moved to stand in the middle of the room. Honestly it should have clicked sooner for Yuri but he couldn’t help himself when he asked.  
“Haven’t practiced what?” But Otabek just ran a hand through his hair, slicking it back further before he settled himself into position. Otabek jerked his body to the right before moving it back to the left and swayed with the music before Yuri realized that this was a [dance routine.](https://youtu.be/EUmm94c4RaE)

Yuri’s mouth was agape as he watched his best friend dance for the first time. He realized he needed to start making a list of things he never thought would happen, because he’d be crossing things off at a fast rate these past few days. He was enthralled with the way Otabek moved. His gaze was fixated on the way his arms moved in rhythm with his legs. Yuri soon realized that Otabek wasn’t even looking at the mirror, but staring at him instead with a small smile on his face. That was something Yuri could barely do and was impressed with the fact. Suddenly, he started actually listening to the music overhead.

_Cause we all get lost sometimes, you know?_  
_It’s how we learn and how we grow_  
_And I wanna lay with you til i’m old_  
_You shouldn’t be fighting on your own_

Yuri’s mouth felt dry at the fact that this song was definitely chosen for a reason. Otabek learned this for a reason. Everything that was happening in front of him was for a reason. That simply being because of _him_. He suddenly wanted to cry from the thoughtfulness but refused to. Even if they were happy tears, Yuri was tired of crying.

_And although time may take us into different places_  
_I will still be patient with you_  
_And I hope you know_  
_I won’t let go_

Yuri tried to contain himself, really, but only after a mere two minutes of seeing his best friend dancing _for him_ , he couldn’t help it when he suddenly stood up and ran to jump into his arms. One of those back bending, bone crushing hugs that were his favorite to give to people who mattered most. As Yuri’s legs wrapped a grip around Otabek’s waist, Otabek himself was ready with a hand at his lower back and his other gripping his thigh. Yuri had his chin resting on Otabek’s shoulder as he was forced to do the same. Their mouths were near each other’s ear but neither said anything until the music stopped playing less than a minute later. They were both content on just holding each other in the meantime. Once they were in the quiet of the studio, Yuri moved his head back to finally glance at the man holding him. He brought his hand up and gently rested it on his cheek before saying something.

“You learned that for me?” Yuri didn’t need to question it, because he knew. He just wanted to hear him say it. To confirm it so he didn’t feel so narcissistic.  
“Yes.” Otabek now brought a hand to Yuri’s face as well, caressing it gently. His thumb lazily pulled at Yuri’s lips as their faces inched closer. Their breath was hot on each other’s face as all they could do was stare at the other’s lips.  
“Yura can I-”  
“Yes…” Yuri cut him off before he even had time to finish his question.  
“Please.” Then finally their lips were on each other. 

Yuri instantly felt like his mouth was fire, just from the heat alone. He imagined their first kiss before, but never could have anticipated the way it felt. A warmness settled in his chest, as their lips melded together, both pressing for more. Yuri’s hand found it’s way into his hair as Otabek’s did the same drawing their kiss deeper. They both breathed heavily with their noses against each other but refused to part, even for a moment.  
Yuri was the first to introduce a tongue into the equation, just a small lick into Otabek’s mouth opened up a world of wetness. Yuri didn’t even notice that Otabek had started moving them across the room until his exposed back was on the cool mirror. With the added leverage and placeholder for Yuri, Otabek’s hands were free to do what they pleased. Yuri sighed into his mouth as his firm hands ran from his thighs up his rib cage. The warmness in his chest felt ablaze and he was so close to drowning in the feeling until he pulled his lips off with a loud smack. He’d never seen the look Otabek had in his eyes before, but it made his stomach drop. Yuri wanted to see that look forever. As they took a moment to steady their breathing again, they glanced at each other. Yuri bit his lip before speaking.

“What do you want me be?”  
“Mine.” Otabek answered without hesitation, both of his hands coming to rest at the sides of Yuri’s face. He placed a soft kiss on his lips before pulling back to say more.  
“And I want to be yours.” Yuri felt the widest grin spread across his face and it made Otabek smile too. Yuri placed a few fleeting kisses on him before touching their noses together.  
“I think I can make that work.” Yuri’s tone was playful and it made Otabek chuckle before they were in the middle of another searing kiss. But after a few moments, Yuri pulled away again with a groan of regret. While he liked being held against this mirror in this way, he couldn’t help but think of his nice comfy warm bed waiting for them. Otabek seemingly read his mind, placing a couple faint kisses on Yuri’s jaw before saying anything.

“Bed?” All Yuri could do was nod before he shimmied his way down the mirror and out of Otabek’s strong grip. His legs felt a little wobbly but Otabek’s reassuring hand grasping at his balanced him. They both grabbed their phones before making this way downstairs. 

But by the time they reached the bottom of the steps, they were tangled in each other again. Their lips meeting like magnets. Yuri fumbled to open his apartment door without looking, but Otabek helped push them inside. He shut the door behind them before pushing Yuri up against a wall. Yuri couldn’t help but laugh into his mouth at the action. All day he’d been thinking about these very lips and now they’re his and they’re _each other’s_. The declaration scared him but the idea of being Otabek’s did not. It was ideal. 

Somehow Yuri got his legs wrapped around Otabek’s waist yet again, with his back leaning heavily on the wall until Yuri felt his weight being shifted. This time he noticed Otabek’s movements as he walked them towards the bedroom. Yuri wrapped his arms around Otabek’s neck locking their lips into place. Soon he felt his lower back brush against his sheets and he momentarily broke away to lay down completely. He gripped Otabek’s shirt and pulled him right along with him, forcing Otabek to crawl and hover over him. Yuri had a grin as he still gripped Otabek’s shirt and pulled him into a kiss. Soon Yuri’s hands were underneath his shirt, his fingers sliding up pure muscle. He felt Otabek shiver at the contact as he pushed the shirt up, exposing skin.

“Can I?” Yuri asked softly against Otabek’s lips. He only answered by sitting up and pulling the material off himself. Yuri ran his fingers downwards this time with his nails lightly scraping at skin. Yuri watched Otabek bite his lip at the touch and it made him smile. He slightly nudged Otabek off of him and pushed him to his side. Otabek didn’t seem to know where he was going with this until Yuri crawled into his lap. Then Otabek laid flat on his back, his head laying against the pillows as Yuri dipped down and mouth at his neck.

Yuri was sleepy drunk and even more intoxicated because of the kisses, so really his mouth was doing whatever it wanted to do. But Otabek didn’t seem to have a problem with that as he leaned his head back and exposed as much of his neck as possible. Yuri watched Otabek’s face as he very gently sucked at some skin. He started sucking at one spot in particular and Otabek let out a throaty strangled moan. At the sound Yuri stopped and sat up, staring at him. He could see Otabek’s red face even in just the moonlight that filtered through the room. Yuri giggled before kissing him again softly. Now it was Otabek’s turn for his hands to roam up the muscles of his back and down across his chest. Yuri took no time in removing his crop top, wanting to feel skin on skin.

Yuri softly bit at Otabek’s jaw and made his way to nibble on his lip. But Otabek brought a strong hand to the back of his head and pushed them into another scalding kiss. Yuri was content with letting him direct his lips. They kissed intensely until Yuri had to finally pull away to breathe, gasping. Otabek chuckled before running a hand through long blonde hair. Yuri took the momentary break to check his phone, downloading the video Asya had sent him. Otabek lazily kissed at Yuri’s temple as he focused his attention on a late night instagram post. He smiled as he watched the video of his latest routine on silent before entering a caption: _@yuri-plisetsky: I suppose 3 AM dancing with @asyalesposito is better than crying. Thanks @otabek-altin for recording <3 #mychoreography_. He instantly locked his phone after seeing it was successfully uploaded and plugged it in to charge before directing his attention back to Otabek who seemed to be waiting patiently. They stared at eachother for a moment as Otabek ran a hand down Yuri’s spine and made him shudder.

“I hurt you, didn’t I?” Yuri’s question had no context, and he could see it confused Otabek for a moment until it settled on his mind what he could be talking about. Otabek pushed Yuri’s long hair to one side with a smile.  
“Not really.”  
“Don’t lie to me. Tell me I hurt you when I kissed someone else.” Yuri was a mix between annoyed and pained. He was slowly piecing things together, like Otabek’s attitude towards him after that weekend at the club.  
“Do you want me to tell you that, or tell you the truth?” Otabek raised an eyebrow as Yuri glanced away from him for a moment. There was a different truth? Otabek didn’t wait for a response.  
“It hurt when you kissed someone else because I felt like an idiot for assuming you had any idea of how I felt in the first place. I know if you knew, you wouldn’t have.” Otabek ran a hand through his hair again as he spoke. It soothed Yuri even though he didn’t feel necessarily on edge.  
“What does it matter anyway? We’re here now and you’re kissing me. None of this would have happened without that.” Otabek moved a hand under Yuri’s chin pulling him towards him until their lips met.

“You’re telling me you wouldn’t have learned that routine for me?” Yuri’s voice held a playful tone but it made Otabek roll his eyes with a smile.  
“I started learning that a while ago.” Otabek placed a few kisses before he let Yuri speak.  
“Mm, I’m just now putting two and two together, that Sofia must have showed you some stuff hm?” Yuri closed his eyes as he spoke, tiredness suddenly overtaking him.  
“My first day was when I sent you that photo.” Otabek’s voice was a low grumble in Yuri’s ear but it still made him blush.  
“I never deleted it.” Yuri confessed, one eye peeking open to see a reaction. He felt Otabek’s stomach below him move in a laugh.  
“I didn’t expect you to. Now go to sleep.” Otabek closed his eyes finally, his hand still slowly running lines down Yuri’s back.  
“Like this?” Yuri questioned, snuggling further down onto Otabek, his head resting on his chest.  
“Exactly like that.” Yuri could hear his voice through his chest and smiled at the sleepy sound. Soon they both dozed off, Otabek stroking his back until they fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *_* It took me 70K+ words, but here we are at their first kiss and _makeout_ session(s)??  
>  I've had the entire studio scene in my brain since I started writing this back in January. So I hope it turned out as nice as it looks in my head <3.  
> Please let me know what you think about everything, it honestly helps when I'm writing - thinking back on past comments and what not ^_^.  
> As always, my question for y'all is: Did you like their mutual flirting and eventual kiss? ;).
> 
> Please validate my existence <3\. **Constructive criticism** is always appreciated.
> 
>  
> 
> [Catch Me On Tumblr](http://lgfuadjj.tumblr.com/)


	10. Ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I apologize soooo deeply for getting this out super later. I've been pretty busy with work, barely having one day off let alone two in a row lately. It's been draining ;_;
> 
> So please accept this 10K+ word count of fluff and domestic shit with a dash of smut that I'm not sure is good or not? **Whoops.** (Here is that eventual start of the smut I promised...)
> 
> _Off to start writing the next chapter, I promise <3._
> 
> xo

Otabek felt his whole body jolt when his phone started ringing near his ear. Usually he was pretty good about muting it before bed, but a _distraction_ kept him from remembering. His focus landed at the golden locks underneath his chin, as that was all he could see from how he was lying on his back. Otabek tried to move enough to grab his phone, but not enough to wake the sleeping boy on his chest. He didn’t even bother trying to look at the bright screen as he just hit accept and brought the phone to his ear with a quiet introduction.

“ **Beka** , when were you going to tell your **own fucking sister**?!” Otabek winced and pulled the phone away from his ear.  
“Sofia, calm down.” Otabek told her groggily as he still held the phone a safe distance away.  
“ **Calm down**?! Beka you up and left Almaty to chase after this boy and I don’t even get a text.” Sofia sounded both perplexed and agitated. While it made Otabek feel _a little_ bad, it also forced him to suppress a laugh to respond.  
“I just haven’t had time to call. I’ve been a bit busy.” Otabek wasn’t exactly lying, most of his attention was preoccupied with Yuri. Who would have time to contact their sister?  
“Fine, at least tell me who this girl is in the video Yuri posted.” Sofia changed to a much milder, defeated tone. Otabek took it as her way of sulking.  
“Don’t worry she’s just a friend.” Otabek rubbed his eyes a bit as he answered.  
“I’m not _worried_ you idiot, I’m interested. Who is she?” Otabek raised an eyebrow before sighing.  
“Just check her instagram?” He felt way too tired to continue this back and forth.  
“ **You don’t think I did that**?! I want details Beka, she’s perfect. She’s the epitome of the style I want to follow.” Otabek growled lowly at the fact that she was back to yelling again. The sun was barely out, which meant it couldn’t be that late in Almaty. Didn’t teenagers usually sleep in during the summer? As Otabek readied to tell his sister to politely _fuck off_ , at least until later in the day, Yuri shifted on his chest.

“Can you tell your sister to chill the fuck out?” Yuri sat up slightly and flicked his sleepy blue-green eyes up at Otabek. It made his heart constrict at the sight. His cheeks felt hot as he couldn’t even think of anything to say suddenly. Hearing Sofia’s voice on the other line brought words back to his tongue finally.

“Beka? Is that Yuri?...Hello?”  
“I gotta go, I’ll call you back.” Otabek hung up in the middle of her protesting and finally put his phone on silent to not be disturbed again. He set it to the side before returning his attention to the sleepy boy that was still watching him. Otabek bit his lip before reaching out to stroke Yuri’s cheek. Yuri closed his eyes and slightly leaned into the touch. The action made Otabek grin before pulling at Yuri’s chin and into a kiss. They held their lips together for a few moments, before Otabek pulled back slightly to speak.

“I’m sorry for waking you up.” He brushed Yuri’s cheek lightly with his thumb. Yuri rubbed his eyes before saying anything.  
“It’s okay. Technically your sister woke me up.” Yuri shifted as he spoke, pulling himself up towards Otabek’s face. 

Gold locks lazily dragged across Otabek’s cheeks and Yuri smirked with the intentional action. Otabek smiled as he took it upon himself to push Yuri’s hair to one side. But once he had a grip on the long hair, he used it to navigate their lips together again. Otabek was the first to initiate their tongues meeting and it seemed to take Yuri by surprise, eliciting a small noise from him. Otabek thought a lot about Yuri’s mouth on his, including his tongue. He might have thought about it in many places other than where it was in this moment, but Otabek tried not to think about that.

The more their kiss deepened, the more Otabek felt himself losing any sense of control over his actions. Maybe it was their lack of sleep. Or the fact that he could finally kiss Yuri, let alone touch him, that made his mind a bit hazy. But the reasoning didn’t stop him from nibbling on Yuri’s bottom lip as he ran firm hands down the muscles of his back. Yuri let out a quiet content sigh as Otabek’s hands continued their path and stopped before the hem of his leggings. He lightly squeezed at the soft skin of Yuri’s lower back, hesitating to move any further down. Yuri’s throat moved a bit as he hummed in a laugh caught between their mouths. Yuri managed to sit up some without breaking their lips apart and put some weight on his knees that enclosed Otabek. Suddenly he grabbed at Otabek’s paused hands and dragged them down slowly to cup his ass. 

Otabek broke their kiss in surprise and watched the smuggest smirk form on Yuri’s face before their lips were on eachother’s again. If Otabek wasn’t aroused before, there was no doubt that he was now. His hands kneaded Yuri’s cheeks thoroughly, causing little gasps to escape him between their kisses. But what Otabek least expected was Yuri to push his hips down and grind. The touch between them caused both to quietly moan and confirmed to Otabek that Yuri was enjoying himself just as much.

Otabek took it upon himself to push Yuri’s hips into his again, applying pressure to his butt. The friction caused Yuri to throw his head back as another moan escaped his lips. Otabek immediately placed his mouth on the expanse of his exposed throat. A strangled sound was caught as Otabek licked and lightly nibbled at a soft spot. Yuri kept rubbing their hips together as Otabek worried a red mark on his neck that would definitely be noticeable later. He finally let go of the soft skin with a small pop and a satisfied smile until their lips caught each other’s again.

Otabek started pushing his hips against Yuri’s movements. The mutual push and pull made Yuri break away with a breathy, ‘Fuck’. Yuri’s hips got more erratic the more Otabek tried to keep their pace together. While it felt good, Otabek knew he could make Yuri feel better if they were in a sitting position. So, he pushed a little at Yuri’s chest to signal him to sit up completely. He was amused at the pout that formed on Yuri’s face as they both silently shifted on the bed. Otabek’s back leaned against the headboard as Yuri’s knees now enclosed his thighs. Yuri leaned in, but before their lips met again he quietly spoke.

“Take off your pants.” Otabek wasn’t sure why but the request made his cheeks flush. Maybe it was the sly smile that followed it as he felt a slight tug at his sweats. 

He quickly complied, shimmying out of the fabric with Yuri’s help. He kicked them off the bed and all he was left in was his boxer briefs. Yuri kissed him slowly before working their tongues together. Soon they were back to the same speed of want and need from before they moved positions. Yuri finally sat his full weight down on Otabek and circled his hips in a quick rotation. The movement had them both gasping. Otabek wasn’t sure how removing one thin layer of fabric between them changed the feeling entirely but he was glad Yuri had suggested it. Otabek’s hands gripped at Yuri’s waist, helping him continue his circular movements. His own hips couldn’t help from bucking up which caused Yuri to throw his head back again. Otabek kept his grip on one hip as his other hand ran down the middle of Yuri’s chest. Slowly but surely, Otabek’s hand slowly grazed Yuri’s hard on. Yuri jolted from the brief touch and the response made Otabek bite his lip and want to do it again. 

He firmly placed a hand around Yuri, grabbing as much as he could through the fabric. Yuri’s eyes snapped shut as Otabek moved his hand up and down. While Otabek had never given someone a handjob he had done it to himself countless times, even with a piece of fabric in the way. So, Otabek made sure to rub his thumb over the wet head and apply various amount of pressure. It caused Yuri’s moans to grow heated and louder the more he was touched. Yuri still tried to move his hips in some kind of motion which Otabek appreciated but seeing this boy worked up was something he always fantasized about. The fact that something he had imagined in countless showers was coming true almost made Otabek come at the thought. But he honed his focus in on Yuri’s pleasure for the time being, his hand now steadily moving up and down while his other helped their hips rubs together. Yuri suddenly brought a hand to Otabek’s shoulder, trying to steady himself.

“Don’t you fucking stop. Please.” Yuri’s sentence ended in a breathy plea as Otabek stroked his thumb over the ever growing wetness. Otabek could feel Yuri’s nails dig into his shoulder but he didn’t mind the slight sting as he did what he was asked.  
“Beka...” Yuri’s eyes met his as the name fell from his lips in a strain. 

Otabek interpreted it as a warning that he was close and quickened his pace as much as he could. He felt Yuri’s body start to tremble above him and mostly focused his pressure on his sensitive head. While yes, Otabek had imagined this moment countless times, he highly underestimated the true beauty of Yuri Plisetsky as he oragasmed from only his hand. One of Yuri’s hands still grasped Otabek’s shoulder tightly as his other rested over his mouth. He was failing at really keeping any of his sounds in as they passed through his fingers to fill the otherwise quiet room. Otabek didn’t really realize how close he was until he came soon after at just the sight of the beautiful boy above him. He let out a quiet moan as his eyes slid shut for a moment. Before he opened them again, Yuri’s lips were planting soft kisses on his jaw line and led up to his ear in a leisurely pace.

“Shower with me.” Yuri told him, instead of questioning and slowly slid off of his lap. Otabek watched as Yuri stood in the middle of the room and turned away from him. Yuri slowly pulled off his leggings and threw them towards a hamper in the corner of the room. He slightly glanced back at Otabek with a smirk.

“Well?” Otabek almost shot out of bed as he watched Yuri saunter out of the room and turn down the hall towards the bathroom. He hastily pulled off his underwear before following

///

Yuri turned handles until the water temperature was warm enough and stepped under the stream. He closed the shower curtain before turning and facing the water, letting it run over his hair and face thoroughly. He heard the bathroom door creak open and shut again and it made him smile. Yuri was the one who pushed the curtains back to invite the guest in completely. Otabek almost looked surprised, as if Yuri hadn’t asked him to follow him to the bathroom. His face settled into a shy smile as Yuri’s gaze couldn’t help but fall to his lower half. 

“Come here.” Yuri spoke in a hushed tone before Otabek made a slow movement to step into the shower. 

Yuri closed the curtains, enclosing them in the warmth of the shower before he stood back so Otabek could situate himself under the water. Yuri watched as Otabek leaned his head back and let water run down his face and on his chest. Suddenly Yuri just needed to touch him, like the water was. He slid his arms around Otabek’s neck closing the space between their wet bodies. Otabek brought a hand up to wipe the water from his eyes before glancing at Yuri in front of him. Their noses bumped a little as Otabek rested his hands at Yuri’s waist, the water hitting the back of his head and running over Yuri’s hands that rested there. They got lost in each other’s eyes for a while, simply just staring as Yuri’s hand found its way into Otabek’s damp hair and Otabek’s hand simply rubbed up and down his spine.

Yuri took a moment to think about how calling Otabek while he laid in the tub he was now standing in was what brought him all the way to St. Petersburg. He realized now that he would happily go through all the actions of the past few weeks if it meant landing in this exact moment. He wasn’t happy with how he had handled Lucas, nor how he treated Otabek in the process. But if Otabek was okay with letting that very brief past go then Yuri figured he would have to try to as well. People make mistakes all the time, right? Otabek knew he wasn’t perfect when they became friends so why would he be bothered by the fact that he wasn’t when it came to a romantic relationship? Otabek placed a hand on Yuri’s cheek, bringing him out of his deep thinking for a moment. Yuri refocused on the soft brown eyes in front of him.

“What’s on your mind?” Yuri’s heart fluttered at the simple question. They just made each other come in their own pants but something about his voice still made Yuri feel nervous.  
“You.” Yuri told him and it earned a wide smile that made his chest light on fire at the sight.  
“That’s pretty vague, Yura.” Something about the way he even said his name made him feel warm. Or maybe it was the fact that they were standing chest to chest sopping wet and naked.  
“I was thinking about...How I hurt you, again.” Yuri’s eyebrows wrinkled at the thought. He watched Otabek bite his lip before a quiet sigh escaped him.  
“I’ve come to the conclusion, finally, that I want to be a better person. To my friends and to you, specifically.” Yuri wasn’t sure if he was making sense, but the smile forming on Otabek’s face made him feel like some part of it did.  
“You don’t have to change anything, Yura. You’re fine just the way you are.” Otabek leaned in and kissed Yuri momentarily before pulling away to let him speak again.  
“You’re supposed to say that.” Yuri tapped Otabek on the nose with his index finger before returning his hand to the back of his neck. Otabek scrunched his nose before moving his head next to Yuri’s ear. The movement made Yuri blush for some reason.

“Do you really think I would want to be with you if you weren’t already perfect?” The somewhat flirtatious question made Yuri noticeably shiver. Or maybe it was Otabek’s lips on his neck, going for that same spot he had when they were in the bedroom. Yuri almost rolled his head back to allow easy access but stopped himself.  
“Don’t you think you made enough of a mark on me?” He asked as Otabek somehow maneuvered his mouth to bite at the red spot without Yuri moving.  
“Maybe I want everyone to know you’re _mine_.” Otabek answered against his skin. Yuri almost scoffed but was starting to like this adoration from him. Even if it left noticeable red marks, Yuri liked the implication.  
“Fine, but at least let me finish my shower before you bruise up my body with your mouth.” Otabek finally pulled away from his neck with a sly smile before nodding. 

Yuri kissed him quickly before turning around and seeking out his shampoo bottle. After squeezing some into his hand he faced Otabek again who held his own hand out patiently. Yuri rolled his eyes before giving him some and placing the bottle back down. They washed their own hair respectively, stealing quick glances at each other every now and then. After a few moments, Yuri forced himself between the wall and Otabek to get in front of the warm stream to wash off. He could feel Otabek’s gaze on him, even as he closed his eyes under the water. He smiled a bit at the thought of them being together like this and having it feel so normal. 

Yuri wiped the water from his eyes and leaned his back against the wall once he finished rinsing his hair. The hot and cold handles touched the back of his knees as he tried to give Otabek enough room to lean forward. But Otabek nearly skipped the water altogether as he bent forward and met Yuri’s lips with his own. Yuri giggled into his mouth as his hands moved to his still soapy hair. He ended up pushing Otabek a bit with just his lips alone and they stood under the stream together still kissing. Yuri massaged at Otabek’s scalp until he didn’t feel anymore suds. Finally they broke apart and stepped out of the water so it wasn’t running onto their faces. Yuri liked the way Otabek’s lips looked, red just from their kisses and quietly wondered if his were the same.

“Did I tell you I liked your hair like this?” Yuri broke the silence between them as he moved the hands he still had in Otabek’s hair.   
“Wet and a mess?” Otabek asked with a quirked eyebrow. It made Yuri laugh.  
“No, I meant down. I mean, I like it all the time but down is nice.” Yuri took a moment to slick Otabek’s hair back into how it usually looked and admired it. He could see the pink in Otabek’s cheeks from the compliment.  
“I’ll keep that in mind then.” Otabek moved to kiss Yuri, but Yuri put a finger to his lips before they met.  
“Almost done. Do you use conditioner?” Yuri’s smile was a little mischievous as he turned to grab at another bottle.  
“Sometimes.”  
“Well, any boyfriend of mine has to use conditioner.” Yuri still had his back to Otabek as he squeezed some into his hand.  
“Boyfriend...” The realization of what Yuri had said hit him like a bus as Otabek repeated the term. Yuri felt his heart nearly seize in his chest. Wasn’t that what they were? Isn’t that what it meant when Otabek had told him he wanted him to be his, and vice versa? Or was Yuri misinterpreting things yet again? As Yuri tried to get one of these questions out, he felt Otabek slide his arms around his waist and kiss his shoulder. Otabek slowly kissed from his shoulder up his neck and to the shell of his ear before whispering.

“Say that again.” Yuri almost let out a nervous shriek of laughter, but kept it only to a mere chuckle. He slowly relaxed into Otabek’s touch, realizing his sudden fears were nothing but his mind overthinking the moment.  
“My _boyfriend_ better start getting used to conditioner.” Yuri wiggled to turn around within Otabek’s arms and slathered what was in his hand onto Otabek’s hair. He could visibly see Otabek’s sigh as he continued to massage the product in.  
“Anything for my boyfriend.” Otabek said quietly as he closed his eyes to Yuri’s touch. The statement made Yuri blush furiously, and he was thankful that Otabek couldn’t see him. Yuri grinned as he finished his work with Otabek’s hair.  
“Here.” Otabek reached for the bottle of conditioner and applied some to his own hands before he ran it through Yuri’s hair. He took his time, paying attention to the scalp and made his way down to the tips. Once they both rinsed their hands off, they still stood away from the stream. Waiting for some allotted time to allow for it to sit in their hair. Yuri’s hands found their way to the back of Otabek’s neck. They both hummed in contentment before Otabek pressed feather kisses to Yuri’s lips and slowly moved across his jaw. He pulled away and bumped their noses together.

“I was being serious earlier, when I said you don’t have to change the way you are. I mean if want to work on yourself then do it because you _want_ to, not because you think the people around you want you to. People like you for the way you are. I know I always have.” While Otabek talked, he held Yuri’s gaze intensely. Yuri felt his smile grow wider through the entire explanation, so wide that his cheeks had started to hurt.  
“Beka…” Yuri didn’t know what to say, so he hastily threw himself at his chest in a hug. It was definitely reassuring to Yuri that Otabek liked him in all his different forms. Yuri wasn’t really sure exactly _why_ he felt like he needed to work on bettering himself, but it just felt like the right thing to do. Especially after a slightly rough patch in his life. Isn’t that what growing up was in a sense? Always trying to evolve into your better self while not losing what makes you, you? Yuri pulled back from their embrace slightly, enough for Otabek to press a firm kiss to his lips. It took Yuri’s breath away. It felt reassuring yet commanding. Their kiss deepened, Yuri’s back hitting the shower wall with a small gasp leaving his lips at the cold touch. Otabek began to run his hands through Yuri’s hair until he stopped and pulled away suddenly. Then they seemed to both remember the conditioner at the same time. 

They both chuckled as Yuri made a movement to grab at his loofa and his bottle of body wash. He lathered the material with the soap before starting at his neck and shoulders and working his way down. Yuri watched Otabek’s gaze at his hands, as he continued to work the soap further down his body. Yuri smirked as he finally got to his cock and Otabek’s eyes met his with a blush. His face getting redder at the fact that Yuri had been watching him, watch him. Yuri just continued washing himself, making sure to get all the way down to his feet before rinsing out the loofa and standing under the stream of water completely. He handed Otabek the sponge before closing his eyes and rinsing his hair thoroughly. Once he opened his eyes his own face started going red at the sight of Otabek’s body full of soap. It was almost like he came to the full realization that they had been naked this entire time, together, in a small enclosed space. His throat nearly constricted as Otabek’s hands delicately worked over ass and thighs. Otabek finally noticed Yuri’s stare and stopped mid motion momentarily before a sly smile appeared on his face and he continued downwards with the soap.

“It’s not easy, is it?” Otabek asked, a bit bent as he washed over his knees.  
“What isn’t?”  
“Trying not to stare.” Otabek’s smile turned into a grin as he stood back up and moved closer to the water stream. Yuri nearly stumbled backwards into the knobs and wall as he tried to make room. He didn’t even know what to say as he watched the water run over Otabek’s hair and wash off the suds from his body. Yuri closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again to drink in the sight of his boyfriend. He couldn’t help himself as brought a hand to Otabek’s chest and dragged it down slowly, following the direction of the water. He watched as Otabek’s stomach contracted under his touch as he went lower. Yuri slowly dragged nails through Otabek’s happy trail before glancing up at him. Otabek was biting his lip and watching him, his face sticking a bit out of the stream so he could do so. Quickly, Otabek grabbed at Yuri’s wrist that was resting at the base of his abdomen and pulled him into the stream of water.

Their lips met fiercely and Yuri made a sound that he wasn’t sure was from surprise or if it was a moan, but Otabek didn’t seem to be bothered by it. The warm water only hit Yuri’s back but he still felt hot from head to toe thanks to Otabek’s lips. Yuri wrapped his arms around Otabek’s neck as hands traveled up his sides and squeezed. He almost growled when Otabek pulled his lips away but the sound was lost in his throat as Otabek’s lips traveled from his jaw to his neck, sucking and biting marks. Yuri couldn’t help but laugh at the fact that Otabek had actually listened from earlier, too literally, to wait until they were done with their shower. Except this time Yuri rolled his head back and gave Otabek free reign over his sensitive neck. After Otabek seemed satisfied with the new marks, he started to go for Yuri’s collar bone. Yuri couldn’t help but giggle at the action, which made Otabek pull away and glance at him. He smiled before Yuri had to kiss those red lips again.

“I’m starting to prune. Let’s take this back to bed.” Yuri whispered against Otabek’s lips as there was only a nod between them.

After successfully making it out of the shower and towel drying, Otabek’s mouth was at Yuri’s collarbone again as Yuri’s back was pushed up against a wall in the hallway. Yuri silently thought about the fact that they had their first kiss not even 5 hours prior and not only had they both made each other come, they had showered together. If it was with anyone else, Yuri would maybe have to worry that things were moving too fast. But everything with Otabek felt like it wasn’t moving fast enough. As if this was their moment to make up for lost time and all the things that had been left unsaid between them for years. So Yuri happily stood in the hallway, pinned to the wall by his boyfriend’s mouth and their towels lazily hanging around their hips. It made him elated to feel this wanted by someone he wanted just the same. Yuri dragged his hands through Otabek’s still damp hair as he looked determined to bruise a certain spot. Otabek’s eyes glanced up to Yuri’s before he finally pulled his mouth away from his skin. Then his thumb came up and gently brushed over it, admiring it with a little smile playing on his lips. Yuri’s heartbeat felt loud in his chest. He imagined Otabek could hear it with his proximity to it.

“Bed?” Otabek cocked his head slightly, not seeming to be able to tell that his entire existence was flustering Yuri in every single way. Yuri could only nod as Otabek started down the hall, back to the bedroom. He only quietly followed as Otabek turned back to look at him from the entryway of the room.

The sun was shining brightly outside now, but Yuri still yawned as he slipped on underwear and a t-shirt. He wrapped his hair up in a towel before nearly plopping himself down and reaching for his phone as Otabek seemed to take his time changing. Yuri sifted through Instagram, glancing over some comments on the video he had posted. There seemed to be an ongoing argument about who Yuri was currently dating (Between Lucas, Otabek and even Asya). Then there were a lot of people freaking out that Otabek _must_ be visiting since he recorded the video, right? Yuri smirked to himself as he watched the video again on silent before closing out of the app and locking his phone. He sat up and slightly tugged at the wrapped towel on his head. He tried to dry as much of his hair as he could with it before he threw it to the side. He ran a hand through his hair as his eyes finally landed on Otabek who was standing there looking at him with a smile. Yuri blushed, wondering how long he had been staring. Otabek slowly made his way across the room towards the bed. Yuri noticed he lacked a shirt and only had shorts on. He looked even more attractive with the glow of the sunlight on him. He stopped in front of Yuri with a smirk and moved his head to motion him to move across the bed. Yuri bit his lip as he slipped under the covers and Otabek followed.

Yuri’s hands instantly went to Otabek’s hair as they scooted closer to each other. He was starting to like it more than his own. He wasn’t sure if it was because of who it belonged to or because of how he liked the way it felt in his hands. Otabek sighed and closed his eyes as Yuri massaged lightly at his scalp.

“You were right, it’s not easy.” Yuri murmured softly as Otabek’s eyes slid back open. Otabek turned and started leaving small kisses on Yuri’s wrist and moved up his arm before settling in front of his face. Yuri’s cheeks burned at the thought of how stunning Otabek looked. He felt like melting as Otabek quickly kissed Yuri before saying anything.  
“What isn’t?”  
“Trying not to stare.” Yuri full on grinned at the fact that their conversation was now reversed from what it had been in the shower. Otabek seemed to realize it too and laughed, the tail end of it turned into a yawn. Yuri continued to smile warmly as his hand still raked through Otabek’s hair.  
“Let’s get some more sleep, without your sister waking us up, yeah?” Yuri bit back a laugh as Otabek just sighed and nodded. Otabek’s warm hands found Yuri’s waist and rested there as Yuri settled his hands underneath his head.  
“I’m gonna rent a bike.” Otabek babbled quietly and Yuri wondered for a moment if he was already asleep and just talking. But Otabek suddenly peeked an eye open for a response and Yuri could only giggle.  
“Whatever you say.” And with that both their eyes closed again and a silence fell between them. Yuri could faintly hear the city starting to come to life outside but drowned it out with the sound of Otabek’s breathing.

~~~

Yuri leaned against a post scrolling through his phone for the 10th time as he watched Otabek sit on _yet another_ bike. He knew he was particular about motorcycles, just as much as he was about his music and his skating. But they had already been at the rental place for at least an hour at this point. Yuri didn’t mind waiting, he actually liked seeing Otabek deep in concentration like this. He liked to watch his brows furrow and his hands rub at his chin in contemplation as he spoke in Russian to the guy helping him rent the bike. But what Yuri was not enjoying was the heat that was the summer. Maybe what he dressed in didn’t help - all black with a jean jacket that he now had draped over his arms. But he was generally accustomed to riding and this is what he knew would be comfortable on a motorcycle. 

Yuri sighed as he slipped his phone back in his pocket and glanced at Otabek, staring holes into the back of his head hoping for him to turn around. Reluctantly, he did to take another look at a bike he had looked at before. Otabek glanced at him and smiled brightly, which caused Yuri to smile back even though the heat was annoying him. Yuri grabbed his bag and headed over to where Otabek was standing with the man helping him pick one out.

“I like this one.” Yuri said almost gruffly, as he touched the one they were currently looking at. Otabek pursed his lips as he looked between Yuri and the bike. Yuri tilted his head in question.  
“You know you aren’t buying it right, just renting?” Yuri tried not to sound annoyed but wasn’t sure how it came out. Otabek responded in a chuckle.  
“Your safety is important to me.” He had a soft smile on his face as he looked at the bike Yuri still had his hand on.  
“Your safety is just as important. I trust you.” Yuri brought a hand to Otabek’s shoulder, lightly trying to tell him to _choose_ something, damn it. Otabek bit his lip as he turned around and scanned all the bikes once more before turning to the one Yuri was next to. He glanced to the man beside him and agreed, finally, that this was what he would go with. The man sighed and his shoulders seemed to fall in relief as he said he would be back with the paperwork. Otabek turned to Yuri as he put a hand on his waist.  
“I trust you too.” Otabek kissed Yuri’s cheek before releasing his side and taking a walk around the bike. Yuri gulped even though his throat was dry. The man came back with a pen and some documents to sign. When finished he finally handed the keys to Otabek and said goodbye to both of them before returning to the rental building.

Yuri unzipped his bag and pulled out both of their helmets. Once they situated themselves on the bike, Otabek turned to Yuri to ask if he was comfortable. Yuri almost laughed, Otabek always asked him this before they rode together.

“I’m always comfortable with you.” Yuri’s arms squeezed around Otabek’s torso as he responded. Yuri imagined a smile on his face before he started the bike up.

They rode around for a good while. Yuri assumed it was so Otabek could get used to the bike. He smiled as he watched all the familiar sights of St. Petersburg fly by. Everything seemed a little different with his arms around Otabek. They had done this countless times before, Otabek always rented a bike at competitions and they would ride around together for hours. But of course everything seemed a bit different now that they were actually together. Yuri could feel Otabek’s every breath as he laid on his backside, if he concentrated enough. He didn’t feel embarrassed by their closeness now that they’ve kissed, a lot, and even seen each other naked. Things were definitely different but in a very subtle way.

Otabek parked his bike near a local farmer’s market. Once they got off the bike and Yuri fixed his mess of a mane back into a ponytail, Otabek held out his hand. Yuri stared at it for a moment, not quite understanding what he meant by it but blushed as he took it in his own. Otabek blushed too with a smile as he lead them both into the throws of people. Even though it was the middle of the afternoon, the market was still bustling. Otabek stopped under one tent and released Yuri’s hand to look over some vegetables. Yuri watched curiously as Otabek grabbed a plastic bag and put a red onion inside.

“What are you doing?” Yuri asked as he watched Otabek go for broccoli next.  
“I’m going to make you dinner.” Otabek said nonchalantly as he went for a clove of garlic.  
“What? Beka you’re my guest.” Yuri scrambled a bit as he grabbed a plastic bag himself and went for a green pepper.  
“Mm, I need carrots too.” Otabek told him with a smile as he continued to pick at things he needed. Yuri huffed a bit as he picked up a couple carrots and put them in his sack. Otabek grabbed his bag from him before pulling out money to pay. Once paid for, Otabek asked Yuri to turn around. Yuri seemed confused but did as he was asked anyways and he felt tugging on his backpack.  
“I’m not your guest, I’m your boyfriend.” Otabek’s mouth ghosted over the shell of Yuri’s ear as he put the vegetables safely in the backpack before zipping it up again. 

Yuri felt himself shudder a bit before turning around and hugging Otabek in the midst of all these people. Otabek returned the hug promptly, before placing a kiss at Yuri’s temple. He laced their hands together again before making his way deeper into the market. Yuri just followed along, glancing at all the tents and various items they were passing. He softly bumped into Otabek’s shoulder as they stopped next to a drink cart. Otabek motioned his head towards the posted menu, silently asking Yuri if he wanted something. Yuri shrugged before nodding and taking a moment to really glance at the drink list.

With cold drinks in hand, they found a surprisingly unoccupied shady bench to relax under. Despite the heat, Yuri leaned heavily on Otabek as he switched between scrolling on his phone and taking a sip from his drink. Their hands were still laced.

“I’m making stir fry.” Otabek mentioned to Yuri casually as he looked at him.  
“That sounds good.” Yuri smiled as he rested his chin on Otabek’s shoulder, gazing at him softly. Otabek seemed to hesitant a moment, by biting his lip, before kissing Yuri. 

He wasn’t sure if he would ever get used to their lips on each other’s. But he knew he _especially_ wouldn’t in a public setting like this. Yuri felt hyper aware of the things going on around him. Even though his eyes were closed and he was pretty focused on the lips pressed against his. He could hear children giggling, various conversations in a variety of languages. Cars, motorcycles, and even bicycles passing by. The soft sigh exhaling from Otabek before he pulled away and rested his forehead on Yuri’s. Yuri was sure his face was red and not only just from the heat. Otabek smirked before turning back to his iced drink in his other hand. Yuri cleared his throat as he grabbed for his drink that he held between his thighs.

“So what did your sister want this morning?” Yuri asked, trying to shift into a more normal conversation.  
“Ah…” Otabek seemed a bit caught off guard at the question. He readjusted his grip onto Yuri’s hand before explaining.  
“Well I didn’t exactly tell anyone I was leaving to visit you. I kind of just left. I mean it was talked about, but the date was never set in stone. So she called to yell about that.”  
“I’m sorry.” Yuri felt a little guilty, for being the reason why Otabek dropped everything to stay with him for a month.  
“Yura…”

Otabek tugged a little at Yuri’s hand to get his full attention. Yuri glanced at him briefly before their lips met softly.

“I wanted to leave and I want to be here.” Otabek kissed him again tenderly, a hand holding his chin in place. Yuri felt like he could melt just from the kiss, let alone from what he had said.  
“Plus, my sister likes to be dramatic.” Otabek pulled away to say this, and it made Yuri giggle and shrug his shoulders.  
“She also asked about Asya. She might want to meet her, or something.” Otabek shrugged his own shoulders as he tried to explain his sister.  
“Oh that makes sense.” Yuri nodded, thinking about Asya’s bubbly personality that even came through on images let alone in her dancing.  
“So your sister likes dancing a lot?” Yuri continued to ask questions. They talked about a lot of things but family was kind of rare between them. He had always just assumed it was because it could be pretty personal. Maybe it was just that they never got around to it. Either way, Yuri was curious and he showed this fact by turning more towards Otabek, bringing one of his legs on the bench bending it at the knee while his other stayed flat on the ground. He regripped Otabek’s hand with his other as he leaned an elbow onto the back of the bench and held the straw of his drink close to his mouth. Otabek only gave him a smile at the body shift.

“Yeah she’s danced ever since she could walk I think, honestly.” Otabek kind of chuckled as he seemed to be reminiscing. Yuri couldn’t help but smile at the gentle look of reflection on his face.  
“It started with ballet. But when she got bored of that, it went to tap dance, then jazz, contemporary and...All sorts of different things.” Otabek closed his eyes for a moment, trying to remember different types of dance.  
“That’s cute.” Yuri meant it for the fact that his sister was well versed in a variety of different styles but Otabek blushed as he caught him staring. Yuri cleared his throat as he directed his attention to people passing by, trying to make it seem like he _wasn’t_ watching him.  
“Well I’ll let Asya know she might have an admirer.” Yuri smirked a bit as he shifted in his seat, both feet now resting on the ground. He went to take a drink through his straw and found that the cup was empty. He gave a small disappointed sound and it made Otabek laugh beside him.  
“My sister would probably appreciate that.” Yuri glanced back at Otabek who had an appreciative smile. Yuri promptly kissed that smile before reaching for his phone.  
“Can I?” Yuri pulled up his camera before asking for Otabek’s permission. Otabek’s response was to lean in closer and look at the camera with a smile. Yuri took a few, altering his face or pose a little each time as Otabek just kept the same smile. Once he put his phone back in his pocket, Otabek stood slowly.  
“I have one more thing to grab before we head home.” Otabek slightly pulled at Yuri’s arm until he stood beside him. Yuri felt a little warm at the fact he casually called his apartment _home_.

They threw away their empty cups and started walking through the market as Yuri followed Otabek again. Otabek gently pulled at his hand in a change of direction suddenly before they stopped in front of a tent with various meats sitting on ice. Otabek went straight for a package of chicken before holding it up to Yuri, silently asking if that’s what he would want. Yuri just nodded with a smile. Once Otabek paid for the meat he wrapped it in multiple bags before putting it in the backpack. Then finally they made their way back to the bike.

Once they arrived home, Yuri took a quick couple pictures of the motorcycle as Otabek stood next to it. Inside the apartment, Yuri started unpacking his backpack in the kitchen while Otabek started shuffling through cabinets to find what he needed to cook with. Once everything was laid out, and the stove was on, both Otabek and Yuri went to the bedroom to change. Yuri lazily pulled out a pair of shorts and a t-shirt from his dresser. He stood stripped down to his boxer briefs for a moment as he sent a quick message off to Asya about Otabek’s sister, before he forgot. Suddenly he felt hot breath on the back of his neck and it made him shiver. Otabek pressed hot kisses against his neck and led down to his shoulder. Yuri turned around within his grip still holding his phone as he rested his hands at Otabek’s waist. He was only in a pair of sweats himself. Otabek’s gaze trailed from his neck to his collarbone and chest. Yuri swallowed as he watched a smile spread on Otabek’s face and felt his fingers run over his sensitive skin.

“This looks kind of bad.” Otabek told him softly as his expression turned a bit apologetic. Yuri only smiled and kissed him. He heard Otabek sigh in content before he pulled away.  
“They don’t feel bad. Even though I must admit you might have gone a little overboard.” Yuri glanced down at the marks he could see. When he looked back up at Otabek he was turning bright red.   
“I was joking Beka, I like them.” Yuri kissed at Otabek’s blushed cheeks before pressing a quick kiss to his lips and mouthing at his neck.  
“I need to make my own.” Yuri mumbled against his skin as he closed his mouth around a soft spot. The surprised sound that was drawn from Otabek’s throat made Yuri giggle before his teeth grazed him.  
“Yura...The stove.” Otabek was breathy, and sounded disappointed that he had turned it on to heat up in the first place. Yuri just kissed the skin that was starting to pink under his mouth before pulling away completely.  
“Later then.” He smirked at the way Otabek bit his lip at the thought, before his phone buzzing in his hand grabbed his attention.

**_A: Do you think she would freak out if I DMed her?_ **

Yuri nearly snorted as he pulled on his shorts and shirt finally. He read the text aloud to Otabek who was also putting on his shirt.

“Probably, but like in a good way. Overall she would be happy.” Otabek nodded in response as they made their way back to the kitchen. Yuri quoted what he had said in a text back to Asya who immediately sent a thumbs up back. Otabek started in on cooking up the chicken as he tasked Yuri to start cutting up vegetables. He cut up a few, standing next to Otabek at the stove mostly in silence as the smell of cooked chicken filled the kitchen.

Yuri realized suddenly that this could technically be counted as a first date. Regardless if it was meant to be or not, he turned to Otabek for a moment and smiled softly but not without him noticing. Otabek looked at him and smiled but had a questioning expression on his face. Yuri hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided he wanted to explain his thoughts.

“I was just thinking...It’s kind of like our first date.” Yuri spoke so quietly he wasn’t sure Otabek even heard him over the meat searing. When he glanced at him again, Otabek was beaming.  
“Yeah, I suppose it is.” Otabek’s blush was light on his cheeks as he flipped the chicken in the pan. Yuri turned back to pay attention to what he was doing with a flush of his own. 

Once he finished cutting the carrots he pulled his phone out and pointed the camera towards himself and Otabek. He only chuckled as he held up a peace sign and grinned at the camera. Yuri did the same with a peace sign but instead stuck his tongue out. After taking a few pictures again, of course, he put his phone away to focus on cutting the rest of the vegetables. Otabek moved to grab a plate to put the cooked chicken on before setting up another pan on the stove. Otabek cut up the steaming hot chicken, and Yuri wondered how often he cooked to not be bothered by the heat of the food against his hands. Yuri cut up the last of the broccoli pieces and stood in front of the sink washing the knife he had used. He turned slightly when he heard sizzling behind him and saw Otabek dumping in a handful of carrots before reaching for more vegetables. Yuri dried his hands as Otabek continued to cook, and he took the time to set the table he had in the kitchen. 

After setting out plates and a couple pairs of chopsticks he grabbed some napkins and a pair of water bottles to complete the look. By the time he was done, Otabek was already next to the table spooning out portions on both plates. Once they were settled in their seats across from each other, Yuri couldn’t help but giggle. He felt a little giddy for no reason, thinking about how just the day before they were hardcore flirting and now they’re sharing a domestic meal together. Yuri rested his elbow on the table, leaning his head on his hand as he took his chopsticks in the other. Otabek watched Yuri, for what he guessed was for his opinion on the food as he took his first bite. Yuri gave him a smile with a sound of approval and a nod before Otabek seemed to relax and indulge in the meal himself. They ate in mostly silence, which was fine with Yuri for the most part. They had a lot of time to talk, and being able to enjoy each other’s presence in the quiet was something that Yuri believed they both needed for their relationship to work. Before they completely devoured the food, Yuri made sure to take a picture of both of their plates.

Soon, they were finished with their meals and Yuri took to washing the dishes again while Otabek dried them. After Otabek put away the last dry dish they both made their way to the couch in the living room. Before Otabek had time to sit down Yuri finally said something.

“You should put on one of your playlists.” Yuri pointed towards the small sound system he had on a bookshelf. Otabek smiled at Yuri before pulling his phone out and making his way across the room. Yuri plopped himself on the couch, watching Otabek curiously as he plugged his phone into the stereo before turning it on. Otabek turned around one last time to glance at Yuri who only offered a reassuring smile, before music filled the quiet.

Yuri was sure he had heard [the song](https://youtu.be/fA8paY4oKoI) playing before, maybe somewhere in the abyss of music Otabek sent to him through skype periodically. But it seemed a bit different listening to it with him present. Something in this song called to Otabek to put it on a playlist, be it the lyrics, the sound of it, or the overall tone altogether. Regardless of what it was that made him choose it, Yuri liked it anyways. He had told him plenty of times how much he appreciated his musical finesse, but that didn’t stop him from doing it again.

“You know I love literally anything you put on, right?” Yuri watched a blush creep on Otabek’s cheeks as he made his way back over to the couch and sat next to him. 

Yuri instantly stretched his legs out over Otabek’s lap, getting himself comfortable against the side of the couch. Otabek just smiled as he put a light grip on Yuri’s calves to hold them in place. Once they both settled into a relaxed position, conversation seemed to come easy. They talked about the last time Otabek DJed, about Yuri’s dancing, and of course about the upcoming skating season. As they were in the middle of discussing themes and musical elements Yuri’s phone started ringing. They both glanced at it sitting in his lap before Yuri even registered Victor’s name on the screen. When Yuri answered he couldn’t even get a hello in before Victor did.

“Yuratchka hi!” Victor seemed almost surprised that his phone call was answered.  
“Hello, Victor.” Yuri glanced at Otabek who was watching him with a smile.  
“I’m just calling to check up on you, see how things were going.” Victor seemed very nonchalant on the other line and it made Yuri curious if this was just a normal phone call or had some other meaning behind it.  
“Wouldn’t a text have sufficed?” Yuri couldn’t help himself when it came to teasing Victor in the simplicity of technology.  
“Ah, I guess it would have. Calling is faster though.” Yuri shrugged in response even though Victor couldn’t see. Otabek stifled a chuckle as Yuri flicked his eyes back up to him.  
“I’m fine. Things are fine.” Yuri answered finally as he leaned over and poked Otabek’s shoulder.  
“Just fine?” Yuri could almost hear Victor’s smile at the question and reluctantly held back from rolling his eyes.  
“Yes, Victor. _Just_ fine. Thank you for your concern.” Yuri ran a hand through his hair.  
“Well if things are fine, I’m going to request your presence on the ice tomorrow. If you’re up for that.” Yuri knew Victor wasn’t trying to guilt trip him or anything, quite the opposite. But he couldn’t help the tight feeling that settled in his chest. He had been neglecting skating for only two days but it still weighed heavy on him. The idea that the ice was his home and where he was meant to be had been ingrained in him since a young age. No matter what happened, skating was what was always there for him - patiently waiting for his return.

“Yura?” Yuri found himself staring intensely at his knee, his vision blurring in and out of focus as he thought heavily. Victor’s voice saying his name still rang in his ears before he finally snapped out of his trance.  
“Sorry, yeah I’ll be there in the morning.” Yuri shook his head as he finally answered and silently scolded himself for getting lost in his own thoughts again.  
“Look if you’re not ready it’s fine to take another day to yourself.”  
“I said I’ll be there.” Yuri tried to take as much bite out of his response as he could but the glance from Otabek told him he might have failed in doing so. Victor just sighed from the other side of the line.  
“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow then. Get some good rest. Goodnight.” Victor ended their call as all Yuri could do was say, ‘Goodnight’ in response before setting his phone back on his lap.

Yuri cleared his throat as an uneasy silence fell between him and Otabek. Music being the only filler for them. Otabek readjusted his grip at Yuri’s calves before speaking.

“Morning skate tomorrow?” All Yuri could do was nod. He didn’t know where his words went.  
“Hey...” Otabek was soft but it still got Yuri’s attention. Otabek’s eyebrows furrowed as he seemed to try to read him.  
“Come here.” Otabek said quietly as Yuri took a moment to respond in action. 

He ended up in Otabek’s lap, facing him. Otabek’s hands rubbed at his back as Yuri leaned forward and rested his head on his shoulder. They listened to Otabek’s playlist as they sat in this position for a few minutes. Otabek placed a couple kisses on his temple before bringing his mouth to his ear and whispering.

“Talk to me.” Yuri almost wanted to cry at how thoughtful he was. About how he didn’t deserve him, especially during tender moments like this. How even though he’s only been away from the ice for two days, he felt like a failure to his country and their sport. How even after feeling so remorseful so fast, he would stay away from the ice if it meant spending more time with Otabek and _that_ idea made him feel crazy. Yuri huffed out a breath as he tried to decipher any of these thoughts into coherent words.

“I’m just...Tired.” Yuri didn’t know how to explain his thoughts without sounding nutty. They had only been intimate with each other for not even 24 hours at this point. He felt like so much had happened, yet nothing at all. 

He thought briefly if he was dreaming and sat back to look at Otabek. Yuri leaned in for a kiss and Otabek made a small surprised sound that was cut off. Otabek’s fingers sunk into the back of Yuri’s head pressing them closer together. Yuri opened his mouth against Otabek’s, wanting to taste him. Otabek was quick to respond with his tongue pressing against Yuri’s, both of them melting into each other. If this was a dream, Yuri was fine with taking advantage of it in this moment. He scooted somehow closer to Otabek, encircling his arms around his neck and brought them chest to chest. Otabek only held Yuri at the small of his back while his other hand was still buried in blonde hair. If their first kiss was equivalent to jumping into the deep end, Yuri was fine with swimming deeper and drowning. He never realized how truly addicted he could be to another person. He thought about how he had always been addicted. From wanting to talk to Otabek, to wanting to see him or hear him, now to the taste of him. His need was somehow always just a scratch away under his skin.

Yuri pulled away from their heady kiss with a gasp and a smack of their lips. He sucked in a wavering breath, only now realizing he hadn’t been breathing the entire time. Otabek smiled as the hand that was in Yuri’s hair moved to stroke his cheek. Yuri took a few deep breaths as they relaxed for a few moments.

“Tired, huh?” Otabek asked playfully as Yuri laughed a bit before rolling his eyes.  
“Yeah, tired.” Yuri bit his lip before he leaned in to kiss Otabek again. It was brief this time as he started to kiss his jawline and then down his neck slowly. 

Yuri heard Otabek’s breath hitch above him as he suckled on a spot on his neck, the same one he had before in the bedroom. He nibbled a bit and Otabek jerked, which made Yuri giggle into his skin. Yuri moved his mouth further down, kissing from Otabek’s Adam’s apple to his right clavicle. He pushed his t-shirt slightly down so he could get his mouth on skin but Otabek didn’t seem to mind. Otabek rubbed Yuri’s back as he let his mouth leave marks that matched his own. Yuri lazily dragged his mouth against the skin he could get to, lightly biting along with sucking in skin. He felt Otabek’s stomach contract over his soft touches to it with his hands.

“Yura…” Otabek’s voice was as breathy as it was when he made Yuri stop before they made dinner. Yuri took a moment to pull back what he was doing and look up at him. Otabek’s face was flushed and he seemed to be breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling. Suddenly, thoughts about what they had done early that morning flooded his mind. They were sitting in the same position they were in before they both came and it made Yuri blush at the thought. Otabek seemed to think of the same thing, or at least something equally embarrassing, as his face turned even more red. Otabek was the first to lean in again, but only touched their lips together briefly.

“Come on Yura, we should go to bed. We have an early morning tomorrow.” Yuri first initially felt disappointed, in somehow ruining this moment, but then quirked an eyebrow.  
“We?” He tilted his head a little.  
“Yes, we.” Otabek only smiled as this was the only explanation he gave. Yuri huffed, silently asking for more.  
“Come on, bed.” Otabek shifted a bit, not exactly pushing Yuri off of him but moving him enough to initiate both of them getting off of the couch.

Yuri growled a bit as he stood, slight annoyance at the fact that Otabek hadn’t explained himself let alone was forcing them to go to bed so early. Otabek moved to turn off the music and grab his phone from next to the radio.

“Don’t growl at me Yura.” Otabek said playfully as he turned off the sound system and started to walk back towards where Yuri still stood next to the couch.  
“Or what?” Yuri challenged, biting his lip to hide his smile. He remembered briefly the last time they had this exact same exchange over skype. Otabek had threatened to end the skype call. But here he stood in front of him, instead of through a screen and over thousands of miles away. A grin slowly formed on Otabek’s face before Yuri was hastily grabbed and thrown over his shoulder. To say that Yuri was surprised was an understatement. An inhuman type squeal erupted from him before he finally realized what had happened.

“Beka, put me down right this instant!” Yuri huffed as his long hair swung back and forth as Otabek presumably walked them to the bedroom. He only felt Otabek chuckle underneath him before he was gently set on the bed. 

Yuri tried his best to pout, his brows furrowed with his bottom lip jutting out. But Otabek just continued to laugh before meeting their lips together again. Yuri couldn’t even hold his fake frown as Otabek placed a hand over his chest and gently pushed, their lips disconnecting as Yuri’s back hit the mattress. Otabek still stood, and pulled off his shirt almost dramatically. At least this is how Yuri saw it, and it caused him to blush. Otabek still stood in front of him, seemingly waiting for him to move and it took Yuri a few moments to realize he was taking up the entirety of the bed at the angle he was laying. He moved his way up the bed and made room for Otabek to slide in. Otabek just grinned before doing so. Yuri made work of his shirt as well, tossing it over Otabek and somewhere into the abyss on the floor. Otabek turned to face Yuri smiling at him sleepily. Yuri was the first to run a hand through his hair, before he yawned.

“You can finish what you started some time tomorrow.” Otabek’s voice was low but very articulate as he glanced at Yuri through half lidded eyes. Yuri was confused as to what he meant for a moment until Otabek brought a hand up to his collarbone and grazed over some of the marks Yuri had already left.  
“Oh.” Yuri barely let his surprise slip as he stared at the red marks on his skin. Otabek placed a hand underneath his chin and pulled him into a kiss. Yuri stared at Otabek’s closed eyes in front of him, before his own eyes fluttered shut. Otabek pulled away all too soon, leaving Yuri trying to chase his mouth.

“I need to set an alarm.” Otabek murmured as he did so on his phone before plugging it in. Yuri turned his attention to his own phone for a few moments, finding himself scrolling through the pictures he happened to take during the day. He bit his lip as he pulled up Instagram.  
“Do you mind if I post some pictures from earlier?” Yuri turned to Otabek as he was compiling four pictures into one post.  
“No, I don’t mind.” Otabek smiled as he kissed at Yuri’s arm that was holding up his phone. Yuri smiled back at the reply and the action before typing up his caption. 

_‘@yuri-plisetsky: Highlights from our “Official” first date <3 @otabek-altin’._ He sighed a bit before he glanced at Otabek and showed him the post before publishing it. Otabek blushed but he smiled and nodded in agreement that he was okay with it going up. Yuri exhaled a puff of air before letting the post go live. He watched the first few reactions come in. The comments that instantly started flooding were ranged from multiple hearts to ‘OMGs’ with too many exclamation points. He grinned to himself before closing out of the app and setting his own alarm and plugging his phone on his charger. Otabek pushed himself up on an arm and leaned a bit over Yuri who was lying on his back. Otabek bent down and kissed him deeply before leaving a trail of kisses across his jaw to his ear.

“Goodnight, Yura.” Yuri shivered at the whisper before he said his own goodnight. Otabek laid back down on his back with a smile before they both settled into a position for sleep. Yuri turned on his side away from Otabek, to get comfortable. He couldn’t help but smile at the fact that Otabek was by his side, and was very much _his_. Yuri closed his eyes and focused on relaxation before drifting off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think! I was nervous to post this chapter for some reason so any feedback would be greatly welcomed.   
> My question to start some discussion: Did you like that long ass shower scene? (Literally 2.4K words, whoops ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯).
> 
>  
> 
> Please validate my existence with kudos, comments, or msgs! **Constructive criticism** is always appreciated.
> 
> [Catch Me On Tumblr](http://lgfuadjj.tumblr.com/)


	11. Eleven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It only took me a little over a week to get this one out :o.  
> This time we get back to a little bit more than just domestic shit, you're welcome and sorry at the same time, maybe?  
> Also there's some more gradual smut in here...Heh ;)
> 
> xo

Otabek had set his alarm to go off at least two hours early, to make it to the rink by 7. He was thankful for his somewhat quiet alarm tone that he was used to waking up to, since it didn’t wake Yuri. Otabek laid on his side, facing Yuri for a moment, who was lying on his back. He watched his bare chest rise and fall and listened intently to his smallest of snores. Otabek grinned to himself as he gently pushed a strand of hair out of Yuri’s face. The dark blue hue of the morning sky that painted the room gently accented white flesh. Otabek couldn’t help but stare as his eyebrows that twitched while he dreamt, his nose with the lightest of dusting of freckles, and eventually his pink lips. Otabek bit his own lip at the thought of kissing them, but decided against it. Being able to watch him for a few quiet moments like this was nearly something out of a dream. He would happily lay by his side for hours like this, if time would allow. Reluctantly though, he tore himself from the sight of Yuri beside him and slipped out of bed as quietly as he could.

Otabek took a fast shower, at least faster than the last time he was in the shower, with Yuri specifically. He washed himself with a little bit colder water, to wake himself up. Once thoroughly awake and drying off he headed back to the bedroom where Yuri was still sound asleep and only dressed his bottom half. He would worry about a shirt when they left later. Before leaving the bedroom, he plugged a pair of headphones into his phone and threw on his ‘wake up’ playlist. He made his way to the kitchen and put on a pot of coffee before throwing a couple slices of bread into the toaster. He smiled at [the song](https://youtu.be/gFUnHUdx3Ow) that came on his morning playlist remembering briefly the last time he played it at a club. He couldn’t help but bob his head a little to the beat as he buttered his toast. Once his makeshift breakfast was complete, he made his way to the living room with coffee and food in hand. He opted to sit in the middle of the living room so he could stretch after he was done eating.

This was his own personal routine to get ready for a day of skating. After whatever he happened to make himself for breakfast, his daily morning pre-stretching helped him focus his mind for the long grinding day ahead. He made sure to move his cup of coffee behind him where it wouldn’t be knocked over and started to slowly stretch out each leg. He took his time, counting in his head quietly and focusing on the music in his headphones. Of course when he tried to clear his mind, thoughts of Yuri filled it. He couldn’t help but smile to himself as he continued to lightly stretch his legs out. After a couple of songs had passed, he found that he was sitting cross legged, thinking more about the music and Yuri’s smile than what he was meant to be stretching. He was pretty good at zoning out. He was also pretty good at feeling the presence of another person. Otabek peeked open an eye and found Yuri sitting across from him. His hair was wrapped up in a towel, a cup of coffee in one hand and his phone in the other. Otabek fully opened his eyes and took Yuri’s appearance in before he had noticed his gaze. Only in a black shirt and boxer briefs to match. Otabek sighed heavily, closing his eyes briefly and storing this moment in a safe spot for later. He slid his headphones down around his neck and cleared his throat a little to gain Yuri’s attention. Green blue eyes fell on him and his heart started racing just from a soft look. His heart fluttered at the easy smile that played on Yuri’s lips.

“Good morning Beka. I thought for a moment you had fallen asleep sitting up.” His smile couldn’t even hide behind his cup of coffee and Otabek couldn’t help but mirror it.  
“Morning. I was just thinking.” Otabek responded as he shook his head and paused his music before taking off his headphones completely and setting them to the side.  
“You should just plug in your phone so we can listen to your music together.” Yuri suggested and Otabek gnawed at his inner cheek. Yuri had told him countless times that he liked anything he put on, but sometimes he was still nervous sharing music. Specifically music that he personally put together for his own exclusive listening needs.  
“Beka…” Yuri all but purred as he leaned forward and crawled a bit towards Otabek. 

The action made him blush a bit, as Yuri brought their faces close together. Yuri practically crawled into Otabek’s lap and pressed a soft kiss against his lips. Otabek wanted to melt at the tenderness. He kissed back, lapping his tongue into Yuri’s mouth and tasting the sweet coffee they both preferred. Otabek wrapped his arms around Yuri’s back and pulled him closer, wanting to feel the warm body against his. After a couple minutes of reacquainting themselves with each other’s mouths, as if somehow they had forgotten overnight, Yuri was the first to pull away with a small gasp. Otabek could see his labored breathing in his chest and felt the same in his own.

“Play me some goddamn music, Beka.” Yuri breathed against Otabek as he still sat in his lap. Otabek chuckled a bit before he pulled the towel off of Yuri’s head gently, trying not to snag his hair. He ran a hand through the damp locks before pulling Yuri in for another kiss by the back of his head.  
“Whatever you say, sugar.” Otabek told him quietly as he watched his face for a reaction to the pet name. Yuri instantly turned red and averted his gaze. He playfully hit Otabek on the chest before scooting off his lap to allow him to put music on.

Otabek laughed as he stood up, plugging in his phone and just resumed his morning playlist from where he had left off before pausing it. He quietly scrolled through the list, looking at the next songs set to play and was satisfied enough to leave it alone and not change anything. When Otabek turned around, Yuri was standing behind the couch leaning over the back of it with a leg held high above him. It was something Otabek was used to seeing in his stretches, but something about seeing it now compelled him to move to where he was and _touch_. He made his way behind Yuri, without really any acknowledgement from him, and brought his hands to cup at his exposed thigh and and knee. Yuri jumped a little from the touch but didn’t lose his balance. He threw a questioning look over his shoulder before Otabek started kissing gently from his calf towards his thigh. He went teasingly slow, as Yuri’s expression molded into something Otabek wanted to take as desire.

“Beka.” Yuri seemed to be pleading as Otabek got closer to his inner thigh with his mouth. Otabek pulled back, loosening his grip to let Yuri move around if he wanted. Yuri dropped his leg back down and turned around, and Otabek crashed their lips together. Yuri moaned a little but it was swallowed in the impact of the kiss. Otabek lightly nibbled on Yuri’s bottom lip before pulling away completely, and glancing at his red lips.

“We have to finish getting ready.” Otabek told Yuri simply, as if he wasn’t the one who started it this time. Yuri voiced this.  
“Says the one who couldn’t keep his hands off me while I stretched!” Yuri lightly scoffed as he turned back around and lifted his other leg into the air effortlessly. Otabek grinned before placing a kiss at the back of his knee and making his way back to the bedroom. 

Yuri yelled something unintelligible but it sounded a lot like, ‘Fuck off Altin’. Otabek only lightly laughed to himself before slipping on a t-shirt and gathering up his skating gear in his duffel. He stopped off in the bathroom to tie up his hair and finish the rest of his morning routine before making his way back to the living room. He found Yuri dancing as freely as he could within the open space to the music that was still playing. He watched for a few moments as Yuri didn’t seem to notice him and kept dancing. His moves seemed more erratic, than graceful, but Otabek liked it all the same. It seemed more like Yuri was trying to wake himself up than to try and dance any routine. Once he finally noticed Otabek standing there watching him, he straightened with a blush. He pushed his wild mane of hair back from his face and made his way towards the bedroom. Yuri tried to walk past Otabek but was pulled by his wrist into a warm chest. Otabek bit his lip as he studied Yuri’s face at a close angle. He took note of the sleepy yet fierce look in his eyes, that matched well with kiss bruised lips. He placed the faintest of kisses on Yuri’s nose, and on his lips.

“That was cute.” Otabek mumbled against Yuri’s mouth as the blush on his cheeks deepened.  
“Yeah whatever.” Yuri rolled his eyes, trying to play it off as Otabek ran his hand through his gold hair. Yuri let him brush out some knots with his hands before saying more.  
“What’s the deal anyways?” Yuri asked him, brushing their noses gently together. Otabek took a moment to try and think what Yuri could be referring to but drew a blank. He only raised a questioning eyebrow, waiting for further explanation.  
“Who is training you? Yakov is still away on vacation so that leaves…” Yuri obviously wanted him to fill in the rest of his sentence. Otabek just smiled.  
“You’ll find out soon enough.” Otabek shrugged it off and Yuri threw his head back, clearly not happy with the response. He didn’t say anything more before he stalked off to the bedroom. Otabek bit his lip as he wondered why he wouldn’t tell Yuri. It’s not like it was a secret. But a small surprise was the only thing Otabek wanted from it, so Yuri would have to be patient.

///

Once Yuri was finished with his own morning routine, him and Otabek made their way to the rink on foot and hand in hand. They both respectively had their headphones on and their own different playlists playing. Yuri didn’t mind the mostly silent walk to the rink. Holding hands was all that he needed from Otabek at the moment. Yuri scrolled through his phone some, trusting Otabek to guide him to their destination and to steer him out of immediate danger if any came up. He liked some photos from his timeline, including an image from Otabek of his morning breakfast with the caption, ‘Sustenance.’ He looked at some of the comments again on the image he had posted the night before and noticed a few from their inner circle skating friends. But surprisingly none from Victor or Yuuri, which Yuri found odd. Victor was usually the first to say _something_. Yuri just shook his head lightly before slipping his phone back into his pocket and noticed that they were coming up on the rink. 

Once inside, Yuri showed Otabek a spare locker near his. They still had their headphones on as they both stretched some more before lacing up their skates. Soon both Victor and Yuuri scurried in, both pairs waving good morning to each other. Neither said a word until they were making their way out to the ice.

“I see you’ve been busy.” Victor remarked and Yuri took a moment before glancing at him and noticing his gaze towards his neck. Yuri instantly felt his face go hot.  
“It’s...Not what you think.” Yuri tried to change the subject as he pulled off his skate guards and rested them on the barrier before stepping on the ice. He started to skate away with Otabek at his side before Victor said anything.  
“I’m not stupid Yurio! You can’t fool me.” Yuri wasn’t sure what he hated more, the fact that Victor was in fact not _entirely_ stupid or the way he said his reply in a sing song voice. He didn’t bother replying as he skated to the opposite side of the rink, in short strides just getting acquainted with the ice again. Otabek did the same beside him. They were quiet as they skated a lap around together.

“I’m sorry.” Otabek mentioned as Yuri just shot him a side glance.  
“Why are you sorry about putting your mouth on my body?” Yuri wasn’t sure why he phrased it like that, but the blush of a reaction satisfied him.  
“I mean...I’m not. I just could have chosen more...Discreet spots.” Otabek stumbled his way through his explanation as they both picked up speed in their 2nd lap around the rink. Yuri bit his lip in contemplation before speaking again.  
“I don’t mind. I like them.” Yuri nodded with his conclusion as he twisted and started to skate backwards. He started to feel the usual burn in his thighs, a sensation he greatly welcomed. Otabek only answered with a smile and nod of his own.

Once they rounded around at the end of their 3rd lap, they both broke off from each other to start practicing light jumps. Yuri took deep breaths to focus his attention on completing them accurately, even if they were singles and doubles. Eventually he worked his way up to triples, and even tried a quad once he felt up to it. Yuri just smiled to himself as his worries about taking a couple days off the ice melted with each completed jump. The only thing that drew his attention out of his focus was Yuuri’s voice.

“Ready, Otabek?” Yuri perked up and found the two making their way to the opposite side of the rink. He came to a complete stop and watched with rapt fascination. Otabek glanced at him with a smile and a little wave before turning his attention back to Yuuri and whatever he was saying.  
“I guess he asked Yuuri a couple weeks ago.” Victor supplied an answer to Yuri without him having to ask anything specifically.  
“Oh.” Was all Yuri could supply. He was a bit surprised. He knew Otabek had been planning this trip, but he hadn’t realized how much pre-planning went into something that seemed a bit spontaneous. He watched Yuuri and Otabek together, just talking, a bit longer before Victor requested his attention.  
“What do you want to work on?” Yuri refocused on his skates and the ice in front of him before looking up to Victor to respond.  
“Everything.” Yuri smiled at the way Victor rolled his eyes.

~~~

They stopped midday for lunch, but all decided to return to the ice for an afternoon session. Yuri and Otabek agreed, to make up for lost practice time they both wanted to spend as much of the day on the ice as they could. Victor and Yuuri didn’t hesitate in staying to coach them. As the day was winding down, Victor changed gears from coaching to a more conversational tone.

“So we’re planning a graduation dinner for Asya tomorrow night. Obviously, you’re both invited.” Yuri ran through his step sequence one more time before answering.  
“Any requests?” Yuri meant it as in dress code wise but Victor came up with different answers.  
“Well to look presentable, but also to bring her a gift.” Yuri just frowned at his first comment.  
“I meant what’s the wear.” He tried to not sound annoyed as he slowly skated to step off of the rink.  
“Ah, just casual. Per Asya’s request.” Victor smiled at him before Yuri turned to put on his skate guards.  
“So you’ll join us then?” Victor asked a moment later.  
“Obviously.” Yuri turned to watch Otabek complete a couple a jump before both him and Yuuri made their way off of the ice too. Yuri could feel Victor’s gaze at the side of his face as he watched Otabek skate over to them. Yuri turned to Victor with furrowed eyebrows, close to telling him to mind his damn business.

“If you don’t want Asya freaking out, you might hope that those disappear soon. Or cover them with something.” Victor smirked, regarding the visible hickeys Yuri sported. As he opened his mouth to tell him off Otabek touched his hand gently. Yuri’s annoyance melted as his gaze landed on Otabek.  
“Let’s go home.” Otabek smiled to him, seemingly ignoring the conversation he must have overheard.  
“That sounds good.” Yuri smiled back as Otabek pulled on his skate guards and walked off the ice to stand next to him. Yuri turned to look at Victor but noticed he was tied up with Yuuri. He huffed as he decided to just drop answering his comment and made his way back to the locker room with Otabek.

After showering in the locker room, and heading home to drop off their gear, Yuri and Otabek ended up at a nearby restaurant for dinner. They had already gotten their food and were well into their meal when Yuri brought up the dinner at Victor and Yuuri’s.

“Yeah Yuuri mentioned it to me earlier.” Otabek told him in response in between bites. Yuri took his time to chew his food and swallow so he could think of a reply.  
“Why didn’t you bother telling me about that?” Yuri was mostly just curious instead of interrogatory.  
“I didn’t think it was that big of a deal.” Otabek shrugged as he took a sip of water.  
“I mean it is and it isn’t. Yuuri’s never coached anyone before, other than offering advice.”  
“I trust him.” Otabek countered before shoving more food into his mouth. Yuri took a moment as he drank from his own water cup and thought about it. The only difference between Yuuri and Victor as a coach was experience thus far. But what did it matter if the situation wasn’t permanent? Yuuri was more than suitable for a temporary coach and instructor while Otabek was here visiting.

“It doesn’t seem like you do.” Otabek continued, and Yuri’s eyebrows furrowed as he shook his head in disagreement with the statement.  
“It’s not that I don’t, I just want what’s best for you.” Yuri immediately wanted to somehow take the words he had said and shove them back in his mouth. But the warm smile on Otabek’s face made Yuri rethink that thought.  
“That’s sweet. But Yuuri has more than enough skill and knowledge to become a interim coach. Plus one of his best abilities is something I want to work on myself.” Yuri quirked an eyebrow to quietly ask him to explain.  
“Step sequences.” Otabek said it as if it was obvious, and Yuri couldn’t help but laugh and nod in agreement.  
“Well he does have that, you’re right.” And with that the subject fell away as Yuri excitedly brought up his ideas for Asya’s gift. He had been thinking about what to get her as an official present for a congratulations and wanted Otabek’s opinion. Even though Otabek didn’t have as much knowledge of Asya like Yuri had, Otabek agreed with one particular item that was on Yuri’s list. They both smiled at each other about it as Otabek helped him finish the plan to perfect it. Yuri took note in his head that this was officially their 2nd date. Not that he was trying to count, or anything.

~~~

Yuri grinned to himself as he held Asya’s gift with both hands and Otabek knocked on the front door of Yuuri and Victor’s condo. Victor was the one to answer, with a big grin. Yuri watched his face turn into a pout as he saw the gift in his hands.

“Your gift is bigger than ours.” Victor reached to grab for it and Yuri just gave him a face as he held onto it.  
“You can be patient.” Yuri teased as he pushed his way through the front entry and into their home. He took off his shoes before Otabek walked in and heard Victor scoff. Yuri assumed he was readying a retort but an overly excited Asya interrupted them.  
“Oh my god Yuri is that for me? You didn’t have to.” Yuri’s gaze instantly landed on the [dress](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/8d/48/c7/8d48c7ddea881f42a8ae051c959419c1.jpg) that she was wearing. He wasn’t sure what he liked about it more, the tiny open slits that exposed parts of her rib cage or the long gem necklace she paired with it.  
“I thought this was a casual dinner.” Yuri only replied as he embraced Asya in a hug. She only blushed as she rolled her eyes playfully.  
“Believe it or not, this is fairly casual for me. As much as summer dresses go, at least.” She twisted a little in her dress to make it twirl once they pulled away. Yuri only laughed as he set his gift down on the table and started to smell the unmistakable aroma of katsudon. He almost tripped over himself as he made his way to the kitchen and saw Yuuri working away at the delicacy. Yuri’s mouth watered at the thought. He turned to Asya in a haste.

“You’ve never had katsudon before have you?” Yuri couldn’t hold his excitement back as he asked. He heard Otabek stifle a laugh from near the entryway that he still stood in before she responded with a grin.  
“Not yet, but I’ve heard it’s practically everyone’s favorite.”

The group opted to sit out on the back patio to take advantage of the cooler weather at sunset. It was as if everyone was holding their breath as Asya took her first bite. Her eyes lit up in excitement as she clapped in response, with her mouth still full. The table laughed before they started to dig into the meal themselves.

“I’m glad you like it.” Yuuri grinned over his own bowl.  
“Are you kidding, how could you keep this from me for so long?” Asya nearly struggled to swallow what was in her mouth and respond.  
“Well it’s only saved for special occasions.” Victor answered as everyone at the table nodded in agreement.  
“I guess I can see why. I would probably try to eat this every day if I could.” Yuuri only laughed at that statement.

Once dinner was finished, Yuuri and Victor cleared the bowls and brought out dessert. Asya clasped her hands over her mouth as she instantly recognized the dish.

“So I know your father is a chef, but Yuuri and I had to try and make panna cotta for you.” Victor explained as he set out a plate for Asya before other plates filtered to Yuri and Otabek.  
“You can rarely ever go wrong with panna cotta.” Asya smiled before she bit into the dessert and closed her eyes before sighing lightly.  
“Absolutely perfect.” Asya grinned widely as she went to take another bite.

Once they cleaned their plates, all they had left were cups full of plum sake and gift unwrapping. Asya started with Victor and Yuuri’s small box of a gift, and revealed a [smart watch](https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/shopping?q=tbn:ANd9GcQF8QKcIzxbiB6RJGvTHIXcgy0yYB_DNVKB-h9HLJh1ueTCLWrF&usqp=CAY). Yuri wasn’t sure who was more shocked between Otabek and her.

“What the fuck you guys didn’t need to get me this.” Asya only breathed as she started to unbox the watch with wide eyes. Yuuri and Victor just smiled as she looked the watch over.  
“It’s already set to...St. Petersburg time.” Asya glanced between Victor and Yuuri and then flipped the watch over hastily.  
“The engraving says…” Victor started.  
“Home.” Asya finished and Victor raised an eyebrow. They had gotten it engraved with cyrillic.   
“I’ve seen this one before.” Asya shrugged in an explanation with a blush. 

She turned to Yuri who was nearest to her to have him help her put it on. Yuri looked at the watch for himself before helping tie it securely to her wrist. He shot a glance at Victor, silently asking why he felt the need to be over the top. Victor only smirked before handing Asya her gift from Yuri once she had the watch on. Asya smiled shyly at Yuri before tearing open the rather large package. Her mouth fell open, gaping as she tore off the wrapper entirely.

“Yuri…”  
“I left some spots blank for you to fill in with whatever you wanted.” Yuri explained even though he wasn’t asked to.  
Asya brought a hand to her mouth as she stared at [a multi picture frame](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51L3WHJKbKL.jpg) with some photos of her and Yuri, and one with her Victor and Yuuri. All had been taken from her instagram.  
“It’s beautiful.” Asya strained to say and Yuri could hear in voice that she was on the verge of tears.  
“I just know how much you like taking pictures so instead of just having them saved on your phone, I thought you would appreciate some hanging on your wall.” Yuri told her as she placed the frame on the table and grabbed him in a hug.  
“It’s perfect, I love it. Thank you.” Asya pulled away after she finished her sentence and looked between the entire table.  
“Thank you all, really. This is more than I could have even...Dreamed of.” Asya shook her head as she looked at her watch and the picture frame.  
“You deserve it, really. Congratulations on graduating.” Otabek finally spoke and all eyes landed on him for a moment. He blushed as he seemed to realize he had actually said anything aloud. Yuri placed a hand on his and gently squeezed with a private smile.

“Yeah what are you going to do with that dancing degree of yours, anyways?” Victor asked as he poured himself some more sake.  
“Ah…” Asya’s brows furrowed for a moment.  
“Maybe i’ll apply at some studios around here. Become an instructor or something. But I guess for now I think I’m just going to try and go with the flow. Relax a bit after being in school for so long.” Asya nodded along with her explanation. Everyone at the table just nodded with her, in silent agreement that this sounded like the best option.  
“I have some people I can get you in contact with. They might want you as a teacher.” Victor held his hands up in an, ‘I’m not sure’ motion.  
“I would appreciate that.” Asya just smiled warmly before finishing what she had left of her sake.

The night continued into the late hours, where they somehow all ended up in the living room watching Victor and Asya hush into Italian and ballroom dance. Yuri sighed as he pulled Otabek with him to put on their shoes. He wasn’t nearly as drunk as he wanted to be to stay and witness this, nor join in.

“Should we help her home?” Otabek asked Yuri quietly as he took a moment to glance back at Asya twirling around the room.  
“That would probably be good.” Yuri smiled to himself as he thought about the last time he helped take her home in this state. 

Once they gathered her gifts and purse. Yuri made sure to pull out her keys before designating Otabek to be the item carrier while he took care of Asya. He opted to give her a piggy back ride as Otabek followed behind them quietly with her things in tow.

“So you guys have kissed, right?” Asya probably thought she was whispering into Yuri’s ear, but he knew that Otabek could definitely hear from how close he was. Yuri just nodded with a blush on his face.  
“I thought Victor could have been lying but oh my god. I’m very excited to hear that. What else has happened between you two? I need to know everything.” Well maybe she didn’t care that Otabek was in earshot, or maybe she simply forgot but Yuri almost stumbled on nothing at her statement.  
“Nothing much.” Yuri tried to play it off, to try and get her to talk about anything else. Asya just giggled.

“We’ve been on a couple dates.” Otabek chirped from behind them. Yuri craned his neck as much as he could, with Asya on his back, to give him a bewildered look. He only grinned at him.  
“Oh that’s really cute. I saw highlights from your first on Instagram.”Asya nodded as they came up on her apartment. Yuri was glad that their conversation was cut short. Asya hopped off of his back and allowed him to unlock her apartment. She bounced her way in and Otabek and Yuri followed behind her. Otabek set her items on the kitchen table as she scavenged her fridge.

“Do you guys want some water?” Asya held out a water bottle towards them and they shook their heads no in response. She only shrugged as she opened the bottle and drank it herself. They all stood in the kitchen not really sure what to do. But Asya just smiled as she capped the bottle.

“Since I’m out of school and stuff now, and I still have a couple weeks until I go back home for a little, would you mind if I came and watched you guys skate?” Asya tilted her head as she leaned her back against her fridge. Yuri turned to Otabek who just shrugged at him in response.  
“I don’t think we would mind, no.” Yuri turned to her finally with a smile.  
“Perfect! Because I asked Victor already but he said to double check with you guys just in case.” Asya clapped happily. She walked towards Yuri before enveloping him in a hug.  
“Thank you so much. Your gift was really lovely. I’ll hang it once I finish putting pictures in it.” Asya slightly rocked back and forth with her arms around Yuri’s shoulders and all he did was follow her movement. He just laughed at her before pulling away.  
“You’re welcome. I’ll text you some practice times. We’re taking tomorrow off but we’ll be back at it on Monday.” Yuri turned towards the front door, ushering Otabek out.  
“Okay! Have fun you two.” Asya just grinned at them from her front door as they stood on her front porch. Yuri’s face went a bit pink as Otabek just laughed and waved at her before she closed the door.

They slowly started to walk towards Yuri’s apartment. Yuri playfully kept bumping shoulders with Otabek, their hands touching briefly each time, before their fingers ended up entwining.

“If you wanted to hold my hand, you could have just asked.” Otabek told Yuri in a low playful whisper.  
“You should always just assume I want to hold your stupid hand, Altin.” Yuri shot back at him as he watched Otabek try and hide a smile on his face.  
“We’re both on the same page then.” Otabek said as Yuri just rolled his eyes.

Once they got home, they instantly made their way to the bedroom. Yuri flopped onto the bed, back first, as Otabek slowly started to get undressed. Yuri wasn’t really paying attention to Otabek changing, scrolling on his phone for a few quiet moments. At least, until he caught a glimpse of Otabek’s bare back in the moonlight that practically lit up his room. Otabek had just pulled off his shirt and was unbuckling his pants, slowly pulling the belt out of the loops. Yuri wasn’t sure if slowly undressing was something he did normally, but it seemed sensual. As well as intentional. Yet, he wasn’t even facing Yuri, so really maybe his slow movements were due to something else. Totally not for trying to seduce him. Yet that’s all Yuri could think about.

“Beka.” Yuri said quietly as he sat up. Otabek turned his head around with a soft questioning look on his face as he had his hands ready to pull down his jeans.  
“Uh…” Yuri flushed as he didn’t really have a plan after getting his attention. Otabek smiled shyly before turning his entire body around to face him completely. Yuri had to contain the noise in his throat that threatened to erupt at the sight of him. He bit his lip as his eyes traveled slowly, eventually landing to where his happy trail hid under his jeans. When Yuri met his gaze again, Otabek had a slight blush but a smirk on his face. Yuri watched him cross the room slowly and come to a stop in front of him. Yuri was now looking up at him from where he sat on the bed.

“Wanna help?” Otabek’s voice was low but also flirtatious. Yuri would have blushed if he wasn’t so turned on by the two worded question. 

Instead of immediately helping take off his jeans though, Yuri placed his mouth on Otabek’s abdomen. The action drew a surprised gasp. Yuri grinned as he looked up at Otabek as he sucked in different patches of skin between his teeth and tongue. His hands instantly wrapped around his lower back, steadying him as much as pulling him closer. Both of Otabek’s hands found their way to Yuri’s hair, slowly running through it. Yuri moved his mouth around his stomach lazily, licking in between dips of his abs and tasting the salt of his skin. But the taste didn’t bother him. It made him want to taste more, if anything. Yuri continued his assault to Otabek’s stomach until there was little to no skin left unmarked. Finally, Yuri slowly slid Otabek’s dark jeans down, his hands gripping his ass and he bit back a laugh as Otabek slightly jumped at the action. He only pulled down the jeans so that they fell to his knees. Yuri turned his gaze back up to Otabek’s as he gently placed a hand on his hard on through his boxer briefs. His brows furrowed, and Yuri felt a small tug at the back of his head from the action. Yuri couldn’t hide his smile as he began to rub him through the fabric for a few moments. He relished in the way Otabek’s eyes shut and the small sounds he tried to keep contained. Yuri slowly gripped the underwear and pulled them down far enough to expose what he wanted. Otabek watched as Yuri brought both hands to grip him, one at the base of his shaft and the other underneath him at his balls. Otabek grunted as Yuri pumped him once. Yuri stared a moment at the precum that had built at the tip and bit his lip in contemplation. Otabek seemed to notice his gaze.

“Yura you don’t -” But Otabek was cut off by the quick flick of Yuri’s tongue on him. Yuri sat back a moment, his hands still gripping at Otabek’s shaft and balls, softly massaging them as he thought about the taste. It wasn’t the best thing in the world, but it wasn’t bad either? Yuri had a grin as he looked back up at Otabek before enclosing his mouth around the head of him. He watched Otabek’s entire body shudder and his eyes close tight. 

Yuri focused the hand at the base of his shaft to move in time with the movements he was making with his mouth. Slowly he started taking more and more of him in, with each slow push and pull back and forth. He tried to focus on what he was doing, but sometimes his eyes strayed upwards to watch Otabek fall apart. Most of the moans that could be called coherent he understood to be said in Kazakh. He smiled a bit at the idea that he had reduced this man to only his native tongue due to the heat of his mouth. Once Yuri felt comfortable with how he was working Otabek, he brought his other hand back up again to help massage underneath. He watched Otabek throw his head back and moan loudly as he continued his movements steadily. Otabek’s hips stuttered, and his grip on Yuri’s hair tightened. Yuri looked up at him, and could see that he was trying to say something but all that came out of his mouth were more moans and grunts instead. Yuri could soon taste that what he had probably been trying to say was a warning that he was close, but he didn’t mind. Yuri pulled off enough to flick his tongue against the slit of his head a few times while pumping him. Yuri swallowed the taste all the same and pulled off completely to watch Otabek’s chest rise and fall heavily. Suddenly their lips crashed together and Otabek was pushing him back on the bed while simultaneously crawling on top of him.

Yuri let Otabek take control. He was practically pushing Yuri up the bed until his head hit the pillow. Their lips only disconnected when Otabek pulled off his shirt in a haste. Otabek kissed him long and hard, before slowly licking his way into his mouth. They made out for a good while, Otabek’s hands running up and down Yuri’s body before his mouth soon joined them. Yuri could barely contain his sounds, and clasped a hand over his mouth to try and help quiet himself as Otabek’s tongue made a slow journey south. Yuri felt a tug at his elbow on the arm that was helping repress his sounds and looked down to see Otabek’s hand nudging it. Otabek’s eyes met his as his tongue swirled around a nipple and Yuri wanted to laugh at the sight. At how erotic it was yet here he was simultaneously asking for Yuri to stop hiding. Yuri bit his lip before he moved the hand that was over his mouth to get lost in Otabek’s hair. He let his sounds fill the otherwise quiet room and it seemed to please Otabek as he moved on to lightly biting at Yuri’s hip bones. Once he reached Yuri’s jeans, he kissed him through the fabric before pulling only the pants down. He completely pulled them off his legs and threw them to the side. Yuri felt his chest get tight at the sight of Otabek’s face down below his waist. Otabek placed soft kisses on his inner thighs and looked up at Yuri while doing so. Yuri swallowed hard as he watched Otabek’s hands slide to the waistband of his underwear.

“Beka, wait…” Yuri breathed as he sat up slightly. Otabek immediately pulled his hands away, a flash of concern on his face at the sudden request.  
“I just...I want to kiss you.” Yuri felt his face go more red at the odd request. Here his boyfriend was, his mouth readying to do unspeakable things in return to what _he_ had just done. But Yuri just wanted to feel his skin against his, wanted to kiss him breathless. Otabek just smiled warmly as he sat up.  
“Is this okay then?” Otabek moved a hand to rest over Yuri’s hard member, massaging slightly. Yuri just nodded as he sat up as well. Otabek had stepped out of his own pants and had pulled up his underwear, Yuri noticed. Otabek moved to sit flat on his butt. His back pressed against a wall the bed was up against.  
“Come here.” Otabek told Yuri with a smile as he patted his lap. 

Yuri blushed a little as he slowly crawled into his lap. He didn’t really explain to Otabek before, but maybe he had gotten the hint that he really liked this position. It was intimate in their proximity and they could kiss all he wanted. Which Otabek did just that, kissing him softly while rubbing him through his boxer briefs. Slowly, Otabek hooked a finger and pushed them down just enough to expose Yuri. He didn’t even have time to think and be embarrassed as a warm hand gripped him and pumped slowly. Yuri, caught off guard, moaned louder than he had intended to. Otabek’s response was to kiss him, like he had asked as his hand moved achingly slow up and down his shaft. His other hand just held him closer by his lower back. Yuri moaned against his mouth as his thumb flicked over the head. Otabek smiled against his lips before he kissed from his jaw to his ear.

“I like the sounds you make, Yura.” Otabek whispered against his ear as his thumb again swiped over the sensitive slit, provoking more sounds to fall from his lips. 

Yuri tried to form a coherent sentence to reply but all his attention was focused on the way Otabek’s hand felt, slowly picking up the pace as it slicked it’s way up and down. Otabek proceeded to plant small kisses on his lips, in between the gasps and moaning. Yuri pressed his forehead against Otabek’s, a string of expletives coming out of his mouth at the now steady pace Otabek was keeping.

“Yura…” Otabek’s voice seemed far away, even if it was right in front of him. Yuri had to concentrate to pry his eyes open to look at him.  
“Come for me.” Otabek’s request was said against Yuri’s lips before he pressed them together.

Yuri wasn’t sure he had ever come that hard before, a shudder wracking his entire body. His moan echoed in his bedroom as he slumped against Otabek, his head finding a resting spot on his shoulder as he tried to steady his breathing. Otabek kissed at his temple, even though Yuri was sure he was way too sweaty to be kissed there. A sudden shift made him realize how much of a mess he had made, on himself mostly, but also on Otabek’s hand. He felt a pang of embarrassment rise for some reason, and he sat up to express it.

“Beka I can -” Yuri eyed the mess before a pair of lips kissed him quiet.  
“Lay back.” Otabek was soft but Yuri complied all the same, disentangling from him and laying on his back. 

His head rested on the pillow again before Otabek got up and quietly left the room. Yuri heard the sound of a faucet running and bit his lip, patiently waiting. Soon the sink turned off and Otabek came padding back into the bedroom. Yuri didn’t even notice the washcloth in his hand until the warm touch of it was on his skin. Yuri giggled a little at the focus Otabek seemed to have as he washed Yuri off. Otabek just smiled as he finished the job before tossing the rag towards the hamper and pulling Yuri’s underwear back up over him before finally meeting his gaze. Otabek crawled into bed, instantly melding their lips together in a tender kiss. Yuri sighed in content at the action. When Otabek pulled away he rubbed a thumb along Yuri’s red lips.

“Was that okay?” Otabek asked Yuri quietly. Yuri watched Otabek’s gaze, his eyes searching his own for the answer before it was given.  
“Yes, it was more than okay. Beka, you’re a fucking dream come true.” Yuri grasped Otabek’s face with both of his hands before kissing him deeply. He felt Otabek chuckle against his lips before he pulled away.  
“I tried to warn you, before I…” Otabek trailed off and averted his gaze and bit his lip, seemingly trying to find the right words of how to say what he wanted to. But Yuri just grinned wide.  
“It was fine. It didn’t bother me.” Yuri shook his head as a giggle fell from his lips. Otabek returned the smile that was on Yuri’s face. Yuri couldn’t get enough of running his hands through Otabek’s hair, particularly while kissing him, so Yuri did both. Otabek allowed him, his mouth soft and pliant. But Otabek was the first to pull away to yawn. He covered his mouth with his hand. He instantly apologized but Yuri only shook his head with a laugh.

“It’s late and it’s been a long day.” Yuri reluctantly disentangled his fingers from Otabek’s hair. Otabek just gave him a sleepy smile. A few moments passed between them, Yuri turned over on his back to get comfortable as Otabek stayed on his side. He grabbed at Yuri’s hand and brought it towards his mouth and planted kisses at the knuckles.

“Maybe next time, I can use my mouth on you.” Yuri had just closed his eyes, and was getting relaxed by the softness of Otabek’s lips on his hands. But his eyes snapped back open at this comment. He turned his head towards Otabek with an incredulous look before they both broke out into laughter. Once they quieted down, and the room went silent once again, Yuri finally answered.  
“I can’t believe you said that. But maybe.” Yuri was grinning before he even peeked an eye open to look at Otabek beside him. Otabek’s smile was reserved with a blush in return. Yuri watched his eyes close, before he closed his own.  
“Goodnight Yura.” Otabek nearly mumbled a few minutes later, and Yuri wasn’t sure if he responded out loud or in his head as he was already on his way to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phewwwww smut at the end this time for y'all.  
> Also please be aware that I'm guesstimating to end this fic around 15 chapters, but there might be a couple more depending on word length. I have a rough outline to end the fic but fear not! I'm planning on posting this into a series where I will add one-shots and drabbles for this universe. More info to come later on about that :).  
> As always please let me know what you think! I respond to all comments (even those directed to my tumblr!).  
> Question for discussion this week: What did you think of the graduation gifts Asya received? :)
> 
> Please validate my existence with kudos, comments & msgs! <3\. **Constructive criticism** is always appreciated.
> 
>  
> 
> [Catch Me On Tumblr](http://lgfuadjj.tumblr.com/)


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